Graduate Faculty are responsible for teaching graduate courses, mentoring graduate students, serving on thesis or dissertation committees, and performing research and creative activities to stay current in and advance their fields. All faculty are eligible to apply for membership on the Graduate Faculty.
For more detailed information, please visit the Faculty Handbook, Chapter 6 (pg 31).
There are two types of membership: Full graduate faculty and Affiliate graduate faculty. Only Graduate Faculty and Affiliate Graduate Faculty may vote on changes to graduate programs and curriculum in their respective areas. The timeline for Full graduate faculty review and membership renewal should be aligned with the P&T review process.
Qualifications for Graduate Faculty Membership
The following qualifications are required for regular Graduate Faculty Membership:
- the highest degree (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., MFA, JD) in the discipline or, for clinical faculty, a master's degree from an accredited institution in the field of practice and appropriate licensure and/or certifications; and
- evidence of engagement in graduate education and research, including:
- evidence of effective teaching and mentoring at the graduate level; or evidence of potential for effective teaching and mentoring at the graduate level; and
- evidence that the faculty member is staying current in the discipline (or relevant area of practice).
Departments shall establish standards in accordance with these guidelines for assessing applications for Graduate Faculty membership. Those standards shall be in their foundational documents.
Affiliate membership may be granted in circumstances where the faculty member's credentials do not meet the above requirements, for part-time or external faculty or members of thesis and dissertation committees, or when a more time-limited graduate faculty status is desired.
Current Graduate Faculty
The membership list can be searched by name, department, or college. External affiliate members are not included in this list.
Procedure for Requesting Full Membership
New Tenure-Track Hires
Newly hired tenure track or tenured faculty can become a member of the graduate faculty at the time of initial hire. To ensure the Graduate Faculty status is granted, the hiring Dean must request it as part of the Dean's Recommendation for Employment. No additional application process for membership is required.
Special Faculty:
The Department Chair (or equivalent School/Libraries) shall forward the signed Full Graduate Faculty Membership form along with a current Curriculum Vita and a brief letter summarizing evidence of engagement in graduate education and research during the last five years to the Dean of the Academic College/School/Libraries for approval. Once approvals have been attained at department and college/school/libraries, the recommendation is forwarded to Marty Hall, Business Officer (hallml4@appstate.edu) for review by the Associate Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School.
Renewal of Membership
The timeline for full graduate faculty review should be aligned with the Promotion/Tenure and Post Tenure review process.
Once materials are submitted by the faculty member, the Department Chair shall forward the materials to either the APT Committee Chair or the PTR Committee Chair depending on the type of review the faculty member is undergoing. The respective committee shall meet to consider the application and then forward their recommendation to the Department Chair.
Chair and Dean Consideration of Application
Upon receipt of the APT or PTR recommendation, the Department Chair shall review all materials and provide an independent recommendation. The Department Chair shall forward either the APT or PTR Committee recommendation and the Department Chair's own recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate School who shall inform the applicant of the final decision in a timely manner.
Procedure for Requesting Affiliate Membership
Affiliate membership may be requested by a department in circumstances where the faculty member's credentials do not meet the above requirements (e.g., no terminal degree, visiting faculty, etc.), but professional or other academic experience equip the individual to teach a specific graduate class or classes or to serve on a thesis or dissertation committee.
The specific responsibility and timeline must be disclosed in the application. Affiliate membership may be requested for up to three years.
The application packet should include:
- The Graduate Faculty Affiliate Membership Application
- A brief letter summarizing evidence of engagement in graduate education and research during the last five years, including evidence of staying current in the discipline at Appalachian or elsewhere and evidence of, or the potential for, effective teaching and mentoring at the graduate level
- A current vita or resume
The application should be combined into a single PDF document, signed by the Chair, and reviewed by the Academic Dean. Upon approval, the Academic Dean will forward the application to Marty Hall, Business Officer (hallml4@appstate.edu) for consideration by the Dean of the Graduate School.
Questions?
Contact Marty Hall: hallml4@appstate.edu