College of Graduate Studies

Members

The President shall appoint the members of the GSEC, which shall consist of the following:

• FACULTY - A minimum of ten (10) faculty members representing the colleges in which graduate programs are offered.
• ADMINISTRATIVE - A minimum of nine (9) administrators representing the colleges in which graduate programs are offered.
• STUDENT - A minimum of four (4) student members, also representing the colleges; and 
• ADVISORY - Nonvoting advisory members as determined by the President.
• EX-OFFICIO - The Dean of the College of Graduate Studies or his/her designee will serve as an Ex-Officio member of GSEC.
• TERMS OF OFFICE - Members (with the exception of students) shall serve terms of one (1) to three (3) years. Appointments are to be effective at the beginning of the Fall Semester and are subject to renewal at the discretion of the President.
• VACANCIES - If a member is unable to continue service on the Committee, another member representing the same basic constituency shall be appointed by the President of the University to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.
• ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS If a member is unavoidably absent from a meeting, he/she may designate a representative to attend in his/her" place, provided the substitute (or representative) is someone from the same basic constituency of the academic community as the regular member and that the Chairperson of the Committee be notified ahead of time as to whom this proxy would be and under what circumstances he/she would be attending the meeting. This substitute (or representative) shall exercise the rights and privileges of the member for whom he/she is substituting; that is, the right to vote, the right to make motions, and the right to second motions.  This procedure was reviewed, revised, and amended on 1/1/2022.

Officers

• Chairperson - The Chairperson shall be elected annually from the Committee membership. He/she shall:
  • Preside at all meetings or designate another member to preside.
  • Schedule regular meetings of the committee.
  • Prepare a tentative agenda for each meeting for distribution to members of the Committee at least three working days prior to regular meetings and one day prior to special meetings.
  • Approve the minutes of the meetings for distribution to the members of the Committee.
  • Appoint special subcommittees as required.
  • Call special meetings when necessary.
  • Supervise the preparation and distribution of an annual Report of the Committee's activities
• Executive Officer - The President will appoint a staff member to serve as executive officer and resource person and to provide staff support services.

GSEC Minutes

Minutes may be viewed by current GSEC members only. Contact the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies for access, 931-372-3233.

GSEC Course Checklist

Conduct of Meetings

Regular meetings shall be scheduled at least three times per semester during the regular academic year. The date and time for such meetings shall be included in the Administrative Calendar.

The Chairperson may call a special meeting when he/she deems such action necessary.

Items for inclusion in the tentative agenda of a regular meeting must be submitted to the Chairperson at least five working days prior to the meeting. Items for inclusion in the tentative agenda for a special meeting must be submitted to the Chairperson at least two working days prior to the meeting. Any member of the University community may submit tentative agenda items to the Chairperson.

A simple majority of the voting members shall constitute a quorum. In determining the minimum number of members necessary for a quorum at any meeting, neither faculty members on official leave nor student members not currently enrolled will be counted.

The agenda shall be adopted at the beginning of each meeting by a majority vote of those present.

In any matter requiring a vote, the vote of each member present (except advisory members) shall be recorded equally.

Subcommittees

No standing subcommittees are authorized.

Special subcommittees shall be appointed by the Chairperson as he/she shall deem necessary to carry on specific items of work of the Committee.

Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern committee meetings in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these procedures. Suspension of these rules may be effected by a majority of the voting members present.

Amendment of Procedures

These procedures can be amended at any regular meeting of the Committee by a two-thirds vote of the voting members present, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing to each member at least three (3) working days prior to the meeting. Amendments to Procedures are subject to final approval by the Administrative Council.

Committee Action and Review

Actions of this Committee are subject to review by the Academic Council and approval by the President.

Effective Date of Implementation

These procedures are continually reviewed by the committee and when necessary and with committee approval, are revised and amended to meet the needs of the organization.