Bylaws of the Graduate Council

Approved by the Graduate Council April 4, 2023

These bylaws are empowered by the Constitution of the Graduate Faculty. The Graduate Council (GC) is the representative body of the Graduate Faculty (GF) and shall legislate for it. These bylaws shall establish the rules and regulations governing: Membership, GC Officers, Meetings, Committees, and Amendments to these bylaws.

These bylaws refer to the College of Graduate Studies (COGS) and the COGS dean. At the time of this amendment to the bylaws, a proposal has been forwarded to reorganize COGS into an Office of Graduate Affairs (OGA) under the Office of the Provost and to move the role of the COGS dean to a Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs. If this proposal is approved and enacted, then any references to COGS should be interpreted as OGA and any reference to the COGS dean should be interpreted as the Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs.

Article I.	Graduate Faculty Membership
Article II.	Graduate Council Officers and Executive Committee
Article III.	Meetings
Article IV.	Committees
Article V.	Implementation and Amendment

ARTICLE I: GRADUATE FACULTY MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1. The GC Membership Committee (see Article IV, section 6, sub-section B) shall review and evaluate GF membership applications. It shall make decisions regarding member categories. After deliberation, the Graduate Council Membership Committee Chair or designee shall report to the Graduate Council the data by college, by category, but without specifying the names of those making application to the Graduate Faculty.

SECTION 2. There shall be five categories of membership on the GF, as enumerated below. Baseline qualifications for each category of Graduate Faculty membership follow below. Individual programs, departments or colleges may, in addition to these criteria, establish more stringent qualifications for the respective categories. If more stringent criteria are established within a program or department, these must be clearly documented.

A. Full Membership

1. Qualifications

Hold a terminal or earned doctoral degree;
Hold a regular tenured or tenure track continuing faculty appointment at the University of Toledo;
Be actively engaged in both graduate education and research and continuing scholarly activity; and,
Consideration will be given to evidence of successful involvement with graduate students and programs, evidence of significant
professional accomplishment, and where appropriate, administrative responsibility in graduate education

2. Duties and privileges of Full Membership

Propose, design and teach graduate level courses (including thesis research, scholarly project research and dissertation research);
May serve on, or chair, Master’s and Doctoral advisory committees, comprehensive examination committees, and graduate
projects or internships; and,
May vote in elections pertaining to Graduate Council and graduate education matters;
May serve on Graduate Council.

3. Review and Renewal

Review and Renewal: Full membership is to be reviewed for renewal every seven years. The result of this review may be:

Continued Full membership;
Hold a regular tenured or tenure track continuing faculty appointment at the University of Toledo; and,
Revocation of Graduate Faculty membership.

B. Associate Membership

1. Qualifications

i. Hold an earned terminal degree; alternatively, hold an earned Master’s degree and possess equivalent experience to a terminal
degree as documented through an evaluative review process.
ii. Hold a regular tenured or tenure track continuing faculty appointment at the University of Toledo; and,
iii. Demonstrated responsibility in both graduate education and research including continuing scholarly activity.

2. Duties and privileges of Associate Membership

May serve on, but may not chair, Master’s or Doctoral advisory committees and comprehensive examination committees. However, only Graduate Faculty members with doctoral degrees may serve on Doctoral advisory committees. Exceptions to this provision may be addressed with Special Membership status;
May serve on, or chair, Scholarly Project committees; may direct internships;
May teach graduate level courses (excluding thesis/dissertation research); and,
May vote in elections pertaining to GC and graduate education matters; and
May serve on appropriate committees of Graduate Council; and
May not serve on Graduate Council.

3. Review and Renewal

Review and Renewal: Associate membership shall be reviewed within seven years, or sooner if requested by the member upon submission of an application for Full membership. The result of this review may be:

Promotion to Full membership;
Continued Associate membership;
Professional membership; or,
Revocation of Graduate Faculty membership.

C. Professional Membership

1. Qualifications

Hold an earned terminal degree; alternatively, hold an earned Master’s degree and possess equivalent experience to a terminal degree as documented through an evaluative review process.
Hold a regular continuing faculty appointment at the University of Toledo; and,
Be qualified to engage in teaching and service at the graduate level.

2. Duties and privileges of Professional Membership

May serve on, but may not chair, Scholarly Project, Master’s or Doctoral advisory committees and comprehensive examination committees. However, only Graduate Faculty members with doctoral degrees may serve on Doctoral advisory committees. Exceptions to this provision may be addressed with Special Membership status;
May teach graduate level courses (excluding thesis/dissertation research); and,
May vote in elections pertaining to Graduate Council and graduate education matters; and
May not serve on the committees of the Graduate Council; and
May not serve on Graduate Council.

3. Review and Renewal

Review and Renewal: Professional membership shall be reviewed within seven years or sooner if requested by the member upon submission of an application for Full or Associate membership. The result of this review may be:

Promotion to Full membership or Associate membership;
Continued Professional membership; or,
Revocation of Graduate Faculty membership.

D. Adjunct Membership

1. Qualifications

Hold an earned terminal degree; alternatively, hold an earned Master’s degree and possess equivalent experience to a terminal degree as documented through an evaluative review process.
Does not hold a regular continuing faculty appointment at the University of Toledo, but is employed at an academic institution in the same discipline. Adjunct membership may be held by visiting and part-time faculty, part-time clinical or visiting appointees, and fellows; and,
Adjunct membership is for those professionals who would make a significant contribution to graduate education, research, and service.

2. Duties and privileges of Adjunct Membership

May teach graduate level courses (excluding thesis/dissertation research);
May serve on, but may not chair, Scholarly Project, Master’s or Doctoral advisory committees and comprehensive examination committees. However, only Graduate Faculty members with doctoral degrees may serve on Doctoral advisory committees. Exceptions to this provision may be addressed with Special Membership status; but,
May not vote in elections pertaining to Graduate Council or graduate education matters: and
May not serve on committees of Graduate Council: and
May not serve on Graduate Council.

3. Review and Renewal

Adjunct membership shall be reviewed within three years. The result of this review may be:
Continued Adjunct membership; or,
Revocation of Graduate Faculty membership.

E. Special Membership

1. Qualifications

The Membership Committee may grant Special Membership to professionals, including but not limited to, University of Toledo lecturers, research faculty, retired UT faculty, and non-University of Toledo applicants from outside of academia who would make a significant contribution to graduate education or research.

2. Duties and privileges of Special Membership

Special members of the Graduate Faculty will be given responsibilities as enumerated by the Membership Committee from the Duties and Privileges of Full Membership.
Individuals holding Special Membership may not vote in elections pertaining to Graduate Council or graduate education matters;
and
May not serve on committees of the Graduate Council; and
May not serve on Graduate Council.

3. Review and Renewal

Special membership shall be reviewed based on the duration of the initial appointment, but in no case greater than three years. The result of this review may be:
Continued Special membership; or,
Revocation of Graduate Faculty membership.

SECTION 3. The status of a member of the GF may be subject to review and revocation outside the periodic review process for egregious acts or when the member fails to fulfill the duties assigned to their membership category. Requests to review the status of a Graduate Faculty member outside the periodic review process can be submitted by the Provost, the COGS dean, or the Graduate Council chair to the Graduate CouncilMembership Committee. The Graduate Council Membership Committee must act within 60 days to render a decision on this request for special review.

SECTION 4. The Graduate Council Membership Committee must provide a written response to the candidate of any decisions to deny or revoke Graduate Faculty membership in response to an application for initial membership, periodic renewal of membership, or special requests to review a member’s Graduate Faculty status outside the periodic renewal process. This written response should include an explanation for the decision, and if possible, actions that the candidate can take to reapply for Graduate Faculty status at a later date.

SECTION 5. Applicants may appeal the decision of the Graduate Council Membership Committee to deny or revoke GF membership in response to an application for initial membership, periodic renewal of membership, or special requests to review a member’s Graduate Faculty status outside the periodic renewal process. Applicants must submit a written request for reconsideration within 15 business days of receipt of the written explanation from the Graduate Council Membership Committee for their decision. Candidates have the right to appear before the Graduate Council Membership Committee to present their case. The Graduate Council Membership Committee must act within 60 days to render a decision on this reconsideration request. Applicants may submit a written request to the Provost for reconsideration if the reconsideration is denied by the Graduate Council Membership Committee, or if the Graduate Council Membership Committee fails to render a decision within 60 days. The Provost is the final arbiter of decisions to deny or revoke Graduate Faculty membership

Return to top

ARTICLE II. GRADUATE COUNCIL OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

SECTION 1. The officers of the Graduate Council shall be a Chair, Vice Chair, and three Graduate Council voting members. Each Graduate Council officer will be elected by secret ballot for a one-year term of office by the members of the Graduate Council for the following year at the last meeting of Graduate Council. A Vice Chair will also be elected by the same process, but for a two-year term. The Chair will be the Vice Chair elected in the previous year. In the event that the previous year’s Vice Chair is unable to serve as Chair, a new Chair will be elected for a one-year term by the same process as above. Of these five officers at least two must be from colleges on the Main Campus and at least two from colleges on the Health Science Campus. The Dean of the College of Graduate Studies (COGS) shall serve as Executive Secretary of the Council to review its minutes and prepare them for approval to the Graduate Council. The COGS Dean shall designate a COGS staff member to record and transcribe minutes of Graduate Council meetings.

SECTION 2. The Executive Committee of Graduate Council (GCEC) shall be composed of the elected officers of Graduate Council, the Dean of COGS, the Vice President for Research, the current President (or Vice President) of the Graduate Student Association (GSA), and the immediate past Chair of Graduate Council, ex officio. The Chair of Graduate Council shall serve as the Chair of GCEC.

SECTION 3. The GCEC shall appoint the members of standing, ad hoc and university committees and shall prepare the agenda for each meeting of Graduate Council. The agenda, the text of any proposal on which Graduate Council is expected to act, and the Minutes of the previous Graduate Council meeting shall be submitted to the members of Graduate Council before each meeting date.

SECTION 4. The GCEC shall hold meetings during the summer months (May to August) following the election of the new GCEC members at the last spring meeting of Graduate Council.

Return to top

ARTICLE III. MEETINGS

SECTION 1. The Graduate Council shall hold regular meetings approximately every other week during the fall and spring semesters at a site that is centrally located or that will rotate between the Main Campus and the Health Science Campus. The GCEC may alter a regular meeting date and also may call special meetings of Graduate Council.

SECTION 2. Meetings of the Graduate Council shall be presided over by the Chair of the Council, or in the latter's absence by the Vice Chair. A quorum for the conduct of business shall be a majority of the voting membership of Graduate Council.

SECTION 3. The order of business at regular meetings of GC, unless suspended at the discretion of the Chair of the Graduate Council, shall be as follows:

A. Call to Order, Roll Call, and Approval of the Minutes of the previous meeting;

B. Reports from the GCEC, the GSA, and the Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs and Dean of COGS;

C. Information and Discussion Items;

D. Standing Committee Reports;

E. Old Business;

F. New Business; and,

G. Adjournment.

SECTION 4. The Graduate Council Minutes, when approved, shall be made available promptly by the Executive Secretary to all members of the Graduate Faculty.

SECTION 5. Two unexcused absences per year may be sufficient grounds for removal by the GCEC. Should GCEC find sufficient grounds for removal, the member being removed will be notified by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Graduate Council. That office will work with the individual’s academic college to find a replacement based on the college’s election procedures.

SECTION 6. Members who cannot attend a meeting should designate another Full Member of the Graduate Faculty from their college to attend the meeting in their place and must inform the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Council at least one day in advance of the meeting.

SECTION 7. The properly identified designee shall have the same privileges within Graduate Council meetings as the Graduate Council member who the designee is replacing.

Return to top

ARTICLE IV. COMMITTEES

SECTION 1. Graduate Council Committee Chairs shall make recommendations regarding their respective committee appointments to the Vice Chair by May 31 with a view to identifying committee members prior to the first Graduate Council meeting in fall.

SECTION 2. The Vice Chair of Graduate Council shall make recommendations regarding committee appointments to the Graduate Council Executive Committee. The Graduate Council Chair is prohibited from making committee appointments.

SECTION 3. The Chair of each Graduate Committee committee having regularly scheduled meetings will submit their respective committee schedule to the Graduate Council Executive Committee by September 30.

SECTION 4. The Chair of most Graduate Council Committees, with the exception of the Fellowships and Scholarships Committee and the Graduate Student Affairs Committee, shall be a member of Graduate Council. A non-Graduate Council member who holds Full membership in the Graduate Faculty must be approved by a majority vote of Graduate Council Executive Committee.

SECTION 5. Committee Chairs shall provide committee reports to Graduate Council Executive Committee. The Office of the Executive Secretary of Graduate Council will create a repository for them.

SECTION 6. The standing committees of Graduate Council holding regularly scheduled meetings on a twelve-month schedule shall be the following:

A. Curriculum Committee

i. The Curriculum Committee shall consist of one person from each college with Graduate Faculty and graduate programs, holding
Full or Associate

ii. The duties of the Curriculum Committee shall be:

to make recommendations to Graduate Council on all new courses offered for graduate credit, both on and off campus, regardless
of format, and on all new graduate degree programs; and,
to review all changes to existing graduate degree programs and in graduate course title, credit hours, and catalogue description, and to recommend action to Graduate Council when changes are considered significant by the committee.

iii. At any time, the Curriculum Committee may approve routine changes limited to course title changes, course renumbering and
course catalog description changes. These approvals will be reported as a consent agenda item to Graduate Council at the next
scheduled Graduate Council meeting.

iv. The Curriculum Committee will take action on all curricular proposals within 30 business days of initial receipt of the proposal
by Graduate Council.

v. In late March each year, each Curriculum Committee member shall inquire into curriculum proposals forthcoming to the
Curriculum Committee during the summer months and rationales for why approval during the summer is sought with their
respective college curriculum authorities with an eye towards sharing this information with the Chair of the Curriculum Committee
and the Vice Chair of Graduate Council.

B. Membership Committee

i. The Membership Committee is empowered to make Graduate Faculty membership decisions. It shall consist of one person from
each college with Graduate Faculty and graduate programs, who holds Full Membership on the Graduate Faculty.

ii. The duties of the Membership Committee shall be to review nominations and renewal applications for membership (see Article I)
on the Graduate Faculty and to present their decisions in a report to Graduate Council.

iii. At the direction of Graduate Council Executive Committee, the Membership Committee may be convened to review and determine
the membership status of an individual member of the Graduate Faculty.

C. University Academic Graduate Program Review Committee (UAPRC)

i. The UT Office of the Provost and its Office of Assessment, Accreditation and Program Review (OAAPR) oversee the annual UT
Academic Program Review including determining the The process includes a role for Graduate Council participation.

ii. The Graduate Council shall appoint two representatives to the University Academic Program Review Committee (UAPRC), these
representatives participate in the program review process with other UAPRC representatives from the Faculty Senate and University
Assessment Committee.

iii. The UAPRC provides an annual report that is shared with the Vice Provost of Graduate Affairs and Graduate Council.

SECTION 7. The standing committees of Graduate Council holding meetings within the nine-month academic year (August – May) shall be the following:

A. Graduate Student Affairs Committee

i. The Graduate Student Affairs Committee shall consist of eight persons, four holding membership on the Graduate Faculty (at least
one from each campus) and four officers of GSA or their appointed representatives. Among the GSA representatives at least one
must be from colleges on the Main Campus and at least one from colleges on the Health Science Campus. Also, at least one of the
faculty members of this committee must be a member of Graduate Council and will serve as the ex-officio, non-voting Graduate
Council faculty representative in the GSA Executive Committee. The COGS Dean (or their designee) shall chair the Graduate Student
Affairs Committee.

ii. The duties of the Committee shall be:

to act as a liaison between Graduate Faculty, the University administration and GSA;
to counsel GSA in resolving issues related to academic, professional and social programs;
to assist the GSA in planning university-wide events;
to deliberate on the selection of GSA Awards recipients from among nominees.

SECTION 8. The standing committees of the Graduate Council that meet on an as needed basis when called upon by the Graduate Council Executive Committee or the COGS Dean shall be as follows:

A. Academic Standing Committee (ASC)

i. The Academic Standing Committee shall consist of one person from each college with GF and graduate programs, holding Full or
Associate Membership, and one graduate student appointed by GSA.

ii. The duties of the Academic Standing Committee shall be:

to serve as a final body to hear (1) academic dishonesty appeals, (2) academic grade appeals, and (3) academic grievances of all graduate students. The procedures for each of these processes are detailed in the Graduate Student Handbook. A decision of the Committee shall be forwarded to the Dean of COGS for administrative implementation; and,
may also serve as an advisory committee to the Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs and Dean of COGS on matters of policy related to academic standing.

B. Academic Programs and Regulations Committee (APRC)

i. The APRC shall consist of one person from each college with Graduate Faculty and graduate programs, holding Full or Associate
Membership, and one graduate student appointed by GSA.

ii. The duties of the APRC shall be:

to serve as an advisory body to Graduate Council or the COGS Dean regarding policies, procedures and actions to promote academic standards.

C. Fellowships and Scholarships Committee

i. The Fellowships and Scholarships Committee shall consist of one person from each college with Graduate Faculty and graduate
programs, holding Full or Associate Membership on the Graduate Faculty, including the Dean of COGS (or their designee) who shall
be the Chair of the Committee.

ii. The duties of the Fellowships and Scholarships Committee shall be:

to advise the Dean of COGS on the award of the COGS University Fellowships and Endowed Fellowships and Scholarships;
to advise the Dean of COGS on matters relating to the financial support of graduate students; and,
to make reports and recommendations to Graduate Council concerning financial support of graduate students.

Return to top

ARTICLE V. IMPLEMENTATION AND AMENDMENT

SECTION 1. Subject to the oversight described in the provisions of The University of Toledo Board of Trustees bylaws sections 3364-1-10(B) and 3364-1-7(B-8), these Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the GC at a regularly scheduled meeting.

SECTION 2. In the event of amendment to provisions concerning GF membership, and notwithstanding the provisions of Article I, Section 3, current members of the Graduate Faculty will retain their membership status until their membership term expires. Renewal of GF membership will be subject to the provisions concerning Graduate Faculty membership in force at the time of application.

SECTION 3. Every ten years or sooner if necessary, the GCEC shall appoint a committee to review the procedures set forth in the Constitution of the Graduate Faculty and the Bylaws of the Graduate Council. The committee shall be composed of the Dean of COGS, the Vice President of Research, two members of the Graduate Council, two individuals not on the Graduate Council who hold Full Membership on the Graduate Faculty, and the President of the GSA.

SECTION 4. At the request of the GCEC, the ad hoc Committee appointed in Article V, Section 3 above shall submit a written report to Graduate Council at a regularly scheduled meeting. Should changes to the GC Bylaws be recommended by the ad hoc committee, the Chair of the ad hoc Committee shall provide two readings of the newly proposed Bylaws at two regularly scheduled meetings of Graduate Council in order to help Graduate Council members comprehend the changes and offer suggestions for revision. Following the second reading, but at that same Graduate Council meeting, the Graduate Council may vote to ratify its own Bylaws.

SECTION 5. At the request of the GCEC, the ad hoc Committee appointed in Article V, Section 3 above shall submit a written report to Graduate Council at a regularly scheduled meeting. Should changes to the Graduate Faculty Constitution be recommended by the ad hoc committee, the Chair of the ad hoc Committee shall provide two readings of the newly proposed Constitution at two regularly scheduled meetings of Graduate Council in order to help Graduate Council members comprehend the changes and offer suggestions for revision. Following the second reading, but at that same Graduate Council meeting, the Graduate Council may vote to send the revised GF Constitution to the GF for ratification.

SECTION 6. Prior to a ratification vote of the Graduate Faculty Constitution, the Graduate Council shall require that the ad hoc Committee Chair hold two informational sessions at two different times and on two different days of the week so that GF members not serving on Graduate Council may have an opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns.

SECTION 7. Working in cooperation with the Office of the Executive Secretary of Graduate Council, the ad hoc Committee Chair and the Chair of Graduate Council shall report on the Committee's findings to the GF through faculty email and they shall conduct a ratification vote via email. The ad hoc Committee Chair, the Chair of Graduate Council and a staff member of the office of the Executive Secretary of Graduate Council shall act as a Teller’s Committee to tally votes and report the results.

Adopted September 3, 1984
Amended April 5, 1988
Amended October 12, 1993
Amended October 10, 1995
Amended June 3, 1997
Amended May 7, 2002
Amended March 3, 2009
Amended April 7, 2015
Amended November 29, 2016
Amended April 19, 2022
Amended April 4, 2023

Return to top

College of Graduate Studies