Article II. The Graduate Council

Section 1. Responsibilities

1. The Graduate Council is the policymaking body of the Graduate Program Faculty. The Council functions on behalf of the Graduate Program Faculty in all matters within the authority of that Faculty, except the amendment of these bylaws. The Graduate Program Faculty may, however, supersede any action of the Council.
2. All members of the Council represent the entire Graduate Program Faculty, not merely those of the department, division, college, or school from which they come. The concern of every Council member shall be with the general welfare of the Graduate School and its programs, rather than with that of only a part.

Section 2. Membership

The Council consists of the dean of the Graduate School or a representative designated by the dean, who chairs the Council but votes only to break a tie; three elected representatives of the UGA Graduate Student Association, one of whom is the president of the GSA (graduate student representatives are voting members and may serve up to three 1-year terms); and the following elected members, one-third of whom are chosen each year:

1. One graduate program faculty (GPF) member from each of the fifteen colleges and schools listed below, elected by the members of the Graduate Program Faculty in each respective College / School.
   • College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
   • Franklin College of Arts & Sciences
   • Terry College of Business
   • Odum School of Ecology
   • Mary Frances Early College of Education
   • College of Engineering
   • College of Environment & Design
   • College of Family & Consumer Sciences
   • Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources
   • College of Journalism & Mass Communication
   • College of Pharmacy
   • School of Public & International Affairs
   • College of Public Health
   • School of Social Work
   • College of Veterinary Medicine
2. One GPF member representing the following groups:
   • Institute of Bioinformatics
   • McBee Institute of Higher Education
   • Biomedical and Translational Sciences Institute
3. The remaining eleven (11) Council positions will be assigned for a three-year term from each of the Colleges/ Schools listed above, recalculated each year according to the following formula:

Ratio 1 = number of GPF and graduate students within each group for Fall Semester / total number of GPF and graduate students across all groups for Fall Semester

Allocation = 11 x Ratio 1

The allocation for each College/School will be rounded to the nearest whole number, with the provision that the total number of Council members sum to 30.

If a reallocation changes the number of positions assigned to any of the groups, the currently elected members of the Council shall serve out their full three-year terms, and adjustments shall be made (allocations moved from one group to another) as terms of currently elected members expire. Thus, the reallocation shall be phased in over a period as long as two years.

Section 3. Eligibility for Membership

Members of the Graduate Program Faculty are eligible for membership on the Graduate Council. An elected member of the Council shall not serve immediately successive full terms.

Section 4. Term of Membership & Time of Elections

Each member shall serve a three-year term of office beginning Fall Semester after the Graduate Council election held each Spring Semester.

Section 5. Nomination & Election Procedures

1. Graduate Program Faculty members may nominate any Graduate Program Faculty member who does not hold an administrative appointment at the department head level or higher.
2. Nominations of candidates shall consider the following principles of distribution, and nominations that do not conform to these distribution requirements are not valid:
   1. In colleges and schools with a departmental structure, no department shall have more than one member on the Council at a time.
   2. In the College of Arts and Sciences, which has a divisional structure, and in any other college or school with a similar divisional structure, each division shall have at least one member on the Council, and other Council members from the college or school shall be chosen at large. If, however, a college or school has more divisions than Council members allocated to it, a system of rotation among the divisions shall be devised.
3. Graduate Council members for each college/school/group shall be selected by each college/school/group. Each institute will be represented on a rotating basis with the representative being selected from their respective institute at the appropriate time.

Section 6. Vacancies During a Term

1. If a position on the Graduate Council falls vacant during the term of an elected member, a replacement shall be nominated by the Administrative Committee of the Council and approved by a majority of those voting at a meeting of the Council. The replacement member shall be from the same academic unit that elected the former member and shall serve until the expiration of the term of the former member. The Administrative Committee shall determine when a position falls vacant.
2. Members of the Council shall not designate or be represented by proxies if they are absent from a Council meeting.

Section 7. Meetings of the Graduate Council

1. The dean of the Graduate School shall call meetings of the Graduate Council as often as required to transact the business of the School but at least two times a year. The Dean shall call a meeting if requested to do so by written notice signed by at least five (5) members of the Council.
2. A quorum for actions at a Council meeting shall be a majority of its elected members.
3. The agenda for each meeting, along with pertinent information on items that the Council will discuss, shall normally be available and distributed to the Council members at least ten days prior to meetings. The agenda will be set by the Administrative Committee of the Graduate Council. Additional Items may be placed on the agenda by the dean of the Graduate School, by the Administrative Committee, or by a two-thirds vote of members present and voting at the Council meeting. Suggestions for agenda items can be submitted by members of the Graduate Council, members of the Graduate Program Faculty, and graduate students to the Administrative Committee for discussion and future inclusion on the Council agenda.

Section 8. Committees of the Graduate Council

1. Standing committees of the Graduate Council shall be appointed annually by the dean of the Graduate School from the membership of the Council. The dean or a representative designated by the dean is an ex-officio member of all committees, but votes only to break a tie. The dean shall appoint a member of each committee to serve as chair. The following standing committees of the Council act on the matters indicated and on others, as charged by the dean:
   1. The Administrative Committee (a) reviews Graduate Council processes and recommends modifications as needed, (b) hear petitions for exceptions to Graduate School rules other than those relating to admission and retention, and (c) hear appeals from administrative decisions relating to any aspect of the graduate program other than admission and retention. The Committee shall make recommendations to the dean and report its activities to the Council.
   2. The Program Committee shall review (a) proposals for new degree programs and changes to existing programs and (b) reports of committees evaluating existing programs. The committee shall make recommendations to the Council concerning the approval, revision, continuation, or termination of all graduate programs.
   3. The Policy & Planning Committee shall work with the dean to (a) develop strategic initiatives to enhance and re-envision graduate education at UGA and (b) recommend to the Council policy for the governance of graduate education. It shall include a graduate student member and report its activities to the Council.
   4. The Appeals Committee shall hear appeals from (a) applicants denied admission to graduate study, (b) students denied a change of degree objective by the Graduate School, (c) students dismissed by the academic unit and/or the Graduate School, (d) students denied an extension of time, (e) students who have violated the Continuous Enrollment Policy, (f) students contesting a course grade, and (g) faculty whose membership in the Graduate Program Faculty has been removed or revoked. The committee shall make recommendations to the dean and report its activities to the Council.
2. The Council may select or the dean may appoint such other, ad hoc committees as they deem necessary to conduct the business of the Graduate School.