BYLAWS OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL FACULTY ASSEMBLY AND THE GRADUATE FACULTY COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT SAN ANTONIO Revised May 2, 2001 Article I Names The names of the policy making bodies constituted by this document shall be the Graduate School Faculty Assembly and the Graduate Faculty Council of The University of Texas Health Science Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at San Antonio, hereinafter referred to as the Assembly and the Council. Individual graduate programs shall be administered by their Committees on Graduate Studies (COGS), as described in Article V. Section I. Faculty and Academic Issues Article II Purposes and Responsibilities The purposes and objectives of the Assembly and the Council are to foster, support, and maintain excellence in all aspects of teaching and research at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences through approved graduate programs. The Assembly shall formulate, discuss, and make recommendations on issues concerning the responsibilities, rights, and privileges of the Graduate School Faculty. Section II. Administrative Issues The Assembly and the Council are formed in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System and exercise their authority within those rules. The Assembly shall be charged with active participation in major planning for the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the campus as a whole. It shall accept responsibility for performing those functions essential to the furtherance and conduct of programs of excellence in all activities of the school. The Assembly is responsible for conducting elections to identify the Graduate School representatives to the UTHSCSA Faculty Senate. The Assembly shall forward issues to the Faculty Senate that may affect the rights, privileges, responsibilities and welfare of the general faculty. The Council shall act as the principal policy-making body of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in relation to academic issues. The Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, as chief administrative officer, shall be responsible for approval and implementation of all policy decisions, subject to the approval of the President of the Health Science Center. Article III Graduate School Faculty Assembly Section I. Membership A. Composition Membership in the Graduate School Faculty Assembly will be accorded to individuals who satisfy one or both of the conditions below: 1. Programmatic Graduate Faculty refers to individuals who have been nominated by the Committee of Graduate Studies in one of the approved Ph.D. or M.S. degree-granting programs within the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to participate in the education of graduate students. Each nomination must be based on evidence of the professional competence of the nominated person to serve as an
active participant in graduate education. Programmatic Graduate Faculty can include any faculty member at the UTHSCSA or any qualified individual from outside the UTHSCSA whose participation in an approved graduate program would further the education of graduate students. It is the responsibility of each Committee on Graduate Studies to systematically conduct reviews of its Programmatic Graduate Faculty at least once every three years. COGS shall assess each member s participation and qualifications and shall certify continued membership on the appropriate Programmatic Graduate Faculty. Changes to the composition of a program s graduate faculty should be forwarded to the Dean. 2. Departmental Graduate Faculty refers to individuals whose primary appointments are in a department of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Eligible individuals must be Health Science Center faculty members holding the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, as defined by the Regents Rules, tenured or non-tenured, who are employed a minimum of 75% time by the University. In addition, all full-time faculty at the Instructor level who have been employed for at least two academic years in a department of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences will be eligible for membership. B. Voting privileges Each Member of The Assembly shall have one vote. C. Membership lists The responsibility for maintaining and updating the list of members of the GSFA rests with the Dean. Both Departmental Graduate Faculty and Programmatic Graduate Faculty lists shall be reviewed annually to ensure they are current. The Dean shall provide the roster of active members to the GSFA. Section II. Assembly Officers and Committees A. Officers 1. There shall be a Chair of the Assembly who will serve a one-year term. The Chair-Elect shall assume the position of Chair, after serving a one-year term as Chair-Elect. The Chair shall preside over all meetings of the Assembly and of the Executive Committee. In addition, the Chair shall appoint a Program Committee to assist in developing topics for regular meetings of the GSFA. Lastly, the Chair shall oversee the selection of the Nominating Committee and the elections for Assembly officers and UTHSCSA Senators. 2. The Chair-Elect shall be elected annually and will succeed o the Chair in the following year. It shall be the duty of the Chair-Elect to preside over meetings of the Assembly in the absence of the Chair and to serve as Chair of the Program Committee. 3. There shall be a Secretary of the Assembly to be elected annually. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep minutes of the meetings of the Assembly, and to distribute copies of the minutes to the membership of the Assembly. 4. If the Chair of the Assembly were unable to complete the term of office, the Chair-Elect would begin his/her term early and a new Chair-Elect would be chosen by Special Election, to be conducted in a timely manner following the protocol used in regular elections. If another officer of the Assembly were unable to complete the term of office, the Executive Committee would appoint a replacement for the remainder of the year and the position would be filled by election the following March. B. Committees
1. The Executive Committee of the Assembly shall be comprised of the Chair, the Chair-Elect, the outgoing (immediate past)-chair, and the Secretary of the Assembly. The Executive Committee shall conduct the functions of the Assembly in the periods between meetings of the Assembly, and shall have the power to appoint ad hoc committees of the Assembly as deemed necessary to carry out such functions. 2. The Nominating Committee shall select the slate of officers of the Assembly and the nominees for representatives to the Faculty Senate from the Assembly. The Nominating Committee shall be constituted on or before March 1 of each year. One member shall be appointed by each of the voting members of the Graduate Faculty Council. In addition, one member shall be appointed by the Chair of each department of the Graduate School that does not have an approved graduate program. The members of the Nominating Committee shall elect the Chair of the Nominating Committee. The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall solicit, using email, nominations for Assembly officers and Senators from all GSFA members; self-nominations are allowed. The Nominating Committee shall then select a slate with at least two nominees for each Assembly office and each vacant Senate seat. An individual may be nominated for both an Assembly office and a Senate seat. The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall distribute a ballot containing the slate of Assembly Officer and Senator nominations to each GSFA member and allow at least a two-week voting period. The ballot to elect Senator(s) shall not be sent to those faculty who are excluded from voting by the Faculty Senate By-laws. The voting shall be secret but the process shall be one that allows the Nominating Committee to ensure that each GSFA member votes only once. The ballots shall be returned no later than May 1 and the Chair of the Nominating Committee, with the help and in the presence of at least one other member of the Nominating Committee, shall tally the votes. The nominees receiving the highest number of votes will be considered elected. In case of a tie, the elected official will be selected, from among the tied nominees, by a random drawing performed by an administrative assistant in the office of the Dean of the GSBS. The Nominating Committee shall certify the results of the election to the Chair of the Assembly. 3. The Program Committee shall be appointed by the GSFA Chair from the various departments and programs within the GSBS. Each member shall serve as a member of this committee for a one-year term. The committee will be chaired by the GSFA Chair-Elect. The GSFA Chair will serve as a nonvoting member of the committee. The purpose of this committee will be to assist the Chair and Chair- Elect in developing short- and long-term activities and programs for the GSFA, including appropriate and timely topics for presentation to the GSFA membership at regularly scheduled meetings. Section III. Meetings of the Assembly A. Regular Meetings Regular meetings of the Assembly shall be held 4 times each year or as appropriate. Meeting dates will be announced publicly at least one month ahead. Assembly members may submit items for the agenda up to two weeks prior to the meeting of the Assembly. The agenda shall be sent to the Assembly members by the Chair at least one week in advance of the meeting. B. Special Meetings Special meetings of the Assembly may be held at any time deemed necessary by the Executive Committee of the Assembly. Special Meetings will be publicly announced at least 48 hours in advance.
C. Quorum A quorum shall be defined as those members present at announced meetings of the Assembly, except as noted under Article VI, Section III Repeal of Council Action. Section IV. Records and Reports A full set of minutes of each meeting of the Assembly shall be distributed by email to all members of the Assembly within two weeks of each meeting of the Assembly and a copy filed in the office of the Dean of the GSBS. Section V. Guests The Chair may invite any individual who is not a GFSA member to attend a meeting as a guest of the Assembly and any other interested parties may, upon a request addressed to the Chair, be granted permission to attend a meeting of the Assembly. These guests shall have the privilege of the floor, but shall not have the right to vote. Section I. Membership of the Council Article IV Graduate Faculty Council A. Ex officio Members (non-voting except as specified) Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The Dean of the GSBS shall serve as Chair of the Council, and shall vote only in case of tie votes. The Dean shall designate a chair pro tem to serve in the absence of the Dean. Associate Dean(s) of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Assistant Dean(s) of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Assistant Vice President for Student Services Registrar B. Voting Members 1. The following members each have one vote: a. The Chair of COGS from each Ph.D. granting program in basic biomedical sciences b. One Chair of COGS chosen to represent the collective graduate nursing programs c. One Chair of COGS chosen to represent the collective graduate programs in dentistry d. One Chair of COGS chosen to represent the collective graduate programs in the School of Health Professions 2. In the absence of a voting GFC member, an alternate with the right of vote may be appointed by the absent member. C. Non-Voting Members 1. One elected student representative from each of the following approved graduate programs:
a. One representative from the collective graduate programs in basic biomedical sciences b. One representative from the collective graduate programs in nursing c. One representative from the collective graduate programs in dentistry d. One representative from the collective graduate programs in the School of Health Professions 2. One elected faculty representative from each proposed graduate program in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences which has been approved by the Graduate Faculty Council (GFC), but is still seeking Coordinating Board approval. Disapproval of the proposed program by the Coordinating Board would terminate this position on the Council. Section II. Function of the Council A. Legislative responsibilities The Council is the designated legislative body of the Graduate School with the responsibility to recommend all candidates for degrees. It will not limit its review to consideration of whether candidates have fulfilled all requirements of various committees of the Graduate School, but will in addition base its recommendations on its own evaluation of the quality of all work presented by candidates for degrees, including that work relating to the thesis or dissertation, its presentation and its defense, in accordance with provisions described in the Catalog of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. B. Educational responsibilities It shall be the responsibility of the Council to establish and maintain policies, rules and regulations in those matters concerning graduate education which are common to all programs administered by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. These matters shall include, but not be limited to, the following: 1. General academic requirements for admission to graduate study and for degree candidacy, for continuation of studies, and for awarding of a degree. 2. Standards of student professional conduct. 3. The GFC shall review the quality and continued improvement of current graduate programs. Criteria for review may include, but not be limited to, the following: i) quality of students research proposals and supervisory committee compositions, ii) level of extramural funding within the program, iii) placement of graduates, iv) qualifications of students accepted, v) publication records, and vi) average length of time taken to receive degree. For each graduate program, a review should be held once every 5 years and the results reported to the Dean of the GSBS for possible action. 4. Criteria for thesis or dissertation research, its supervision, and its defense. 5. Content of the GSBS Viewbook, the GSBS website, the pertinent sections of the UTHSCSA Catalog, the Student Guide and other relevant publications prior to publication. C. Consideration of new graduate programs It shall be the responsibility of the Council to review and act upon each proposal for a new graduate program which will be administered by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The Council may reject the proposal, return it for modification, or transmit it to the Dean of the GSBS with recommendation for approval. The Dean of the GSB S may act on a proposal so transmitted by the Council by rejecting it, returning it to the Council for modification, or transmitting it to the President with recommendation for approval.
D. It shall be the responsibility of the Council to review and act upon recommendations submitted by the Committee on Graduate Studies of each program as listed below. The Council may reject the recommendation, return it for modification, or transmit it to the Dean of the GSBS with recommendation for approval. Recommendations which must be submitted by Committees on Graduate Studies shall include, but not be limited to, the following matters: 1. Admission of an applicant to a graduate program when admission criteria for acceptance are below those established and approved by the Council as a minimum. 2. Dissertation research proposals and Supervising Committees. 3. Granting of all graduate degrees. Section III. Meeting of the Council A. Regular Meetings Regular meetings of the Council shall be held monthly throughout the year. Members of the Council may submit items for the agenda to the Dean of the GSBS no later than 8 days prior to the next meeting. Written notice of the agenda of the regular Council meeting shall be sent to the Council members by the Dean of the GSBS no later than 1 week prior to the date of the meeting. In addition, the agenda (without attachments) shall be distributed by email to all members of the graduate faculty no later than 1 week prior to the date of the meeting. B. Special Meetings A special meeting of the Council may be called by the Chair, or upon the request of three voting members of the Council. Written notice with the agenda of the special meeting shall be sent by the Chair to the Council members no later than three days in advance of the meeting. C. Quorum A majority of the voting membership of the Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of its business. Section IV. Minutes A copy of the minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Council shall be sent to each member of the Council within one week after each meeting. Once approved by GFC at its next meeting, the minutes are to be distributed by email within 7 days to all members of the graduate faculty and to the President of the Health Science Center. The original copy of the minutes shall be permanently filed in the office of the Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Section V. Guests The Dean of the GSBS or the Council may invite any interested individual to attend a meeting as a guest of the Council. Guests shall have the privilege of the floor, but shall not have the right to vote. Article V Committees on Graduate Studies
Section I. Membership and Officers of Committees on Graduate Studies Each approved program s hall have a Committee on Graduate Studies consisting of: 1. Chair 2. A minimum of four additional members from the Programmatic Graduate Faculty of the program 3. At least one student representative, who may be asked to leave the COGS meeting when students are being specifically discussed. Section II. Functions of Committees on Graduate Studies A. Responsibilities The Committee on Graduate Studies of each graduate program shall have the primary responsibility for the conduct and administration of the program, including, but not limited to: 1. Establishing specific requirements for admission, in addition to the general requirements of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and establishing procedures for review of applications to the graduate program. 2. Establishing academic curricula consistent with the approved program goals of the graduate program. 3. Reviewing the students progress towards the degree at least two times a year. 4. Reviewing thesis and dissertation research proposals and the composition of Supervising Committees. 5. Attending the final oral presentation of each degree candidate and reviewing the recommendation of the student s supervising committee. 6. Recommending the allocation of state funds provided to the graduate program. 7. Reviewing and making recommendations to the Dean of the GSBS concerning the qualifications of potential new members of the Programmatic Graduate Faculty. 8. Reviewing the roster of members of the Programmatic Graduate Faculty for continuations and deletions; each faculty member s credentials must be evaluated every 3 years. 9. Establishing, maintaining, and distributing Program Guidelines to all students and faculty. B. Recommendations to the Council The Committee on Graduate Studies of each graduate program shall submit to the Council recommendations on matters which require approval by both the Council and the Dean of the GSBS prior to implementation. Such matters include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Admission to a graduate program of an applicant whose credentials are below those minimum requirements established by the Council. 2. Dissertation research proposals and Supervising Committee composition. 3. Granting of all graduate degrees, with report on the final oral examination, when appropriate.
4. Reviewing the UTHSCSA catalog entry for the individual program and the overall description for the graduate school, prior to publication. C. Recommendations to the Dean The Committee on Graduate Studies of each graduate program shall submit to the Dean of the GSBS recommendations on matters which require approval of the Dean prior to implementation. Such matters include, but are not limited to: 1. Rejecting an applicant to a graduate program. 2. Granting a leave of absence to a student in the program. 3. Granting membership to the Programmatic Graduate Faculty. 4. Admitting students who meet the minimum criteria previously established by the Council. 5. Admitting a student to candidacy for a degree. 6. Terminating student classification for an individual. 7. Revisions of the guidelines of the graduate programs. Guidelines should be reviewed on an annual basis. Section I. Jurisdiction Article VI Jurisdiction of the Council and the Assembly The Assembly and/or the Council may consider all academic matters that affect directly or indirectly the ability of the faculty to carry out their programs of teaching and research in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The Council shall consider any matters referred to it by the Assembly, the Dean of the GSBS, the President, the Chancellor, or the Board of Regents. It may submit recommendations on any matters affecting the interests of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to the Dean of the GSBS for action, or for transmittal to the President, the Chancellor, and the Board of Regents. Section II. Protests of Council Action After the distribution of the minutes of each Council meeting, members of the Assembly may submit to the Chair of the Assembly individually signed protests concerning the Council s action. If such protests concerning any given item are received from at least 10 percent of the members of the Assembly within 30 calendar days after distribution of the minutes of the Council meeting, the Chair of the Assembly must present the protested item for reconsideration by the Council at the next scheduled meeting after the 30 day period. Section III. Repeal of Council Action In the event that protests of Council action by the members of the Assembly have led to reconsideration of the action by the Council and in the event that further protests are made by at least 25 percent or more members of the Assembly within 30 calendar days after distribution of the minutes of the Council meeting at which the matter is reconsidered, the protested item must be presented by the Chair of the Assembly at a special meeting of the Assembly. This special meeting must be held within 15 calendar days after the conclusion of the 30 day period. In this special case, it shall be the prerogative of the Assembly to affirm, modify, or rescind the previous Council action by a majority vote of the entire Assembly membership. The vote shall be obtained by written secret ballots distributed to the entire Assembly membership by the
Secretary of the Assembly within 5 calendar days of the special meeting of the Assembly, and the vote shall be tallied on the 15 th day after the Assembly meeting by an ad hoc Tellers Committee appointed for this purpose by the Chair of the Assembly. Article VII Elections All elections listed in this document shall be by secret ballot. This includes elections of the following: Chair-elect and Secretary of the Assembly Faculty and representatives to the Faculty Senate. Article VIII Rules of Procedure Robert s Rules of Order (Newly Revised) shall govern the conduct of all meetings. Article IX Amendments These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Assembly present provided that the proposed amendment is submitted in writing to all member of the Assembly at least thirty days prior to such a meeting. Amendments may be proposed by Council resolution or by petition of twenty-five percent of the members of the Assembly. Article X The provisions of this instrument shall become effective upon its adoption by the majority vote of the current Graduate Faculty. Definitions: COGS Dean GFC GSBS GSFA Review Senate Committee on Graduate Studies Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Graduate Faculty Council Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Graduate School Faculty Assembly Evaluate and approve or disapprove The Faculty Senate of the UTHSCSA Approved as amended by the Graduate Faculty Assembly on May 2, 2001