See Graduate Faculty Lists
Mission
The graduate faculty, as a body, is expected to play a principal role in nurturing academic excellence in student-centered graduate education. Graduate Faculty ensure quality preparation of the University's graduate students by modeling innovative practices as scholars, instructors, advisors, mentors, and advocates for WVU graduate students. Graduate faculty are privileged to serve as role models to graduate students who will become future faculty, researchers, educators, and leaders in and outside of the academy.
All members of the Graduate Faculty are expected to be highly engaged in scholarly activities as defined by their discipline, leading research and creative endeavors throughout the university. They are expected to demonstrate excellence in graduate-level instruction, curriculum development, assessment of learning and in the execution of tasks related to their specific membership role. The university recognizes that all members play a critical part in advancing the mission of graduate education, and that different faculty will fulfill these roles in different ways.
Members of the graduate faculty will provide constructive evaluation of student learning and will provide formative and summative feedback utilizing inclusive and evidence-based mentorship tools and strategies. Graduate faculty are expected to advocate for the value and benefits of graduate education. As advocates for their students, Graduate Faculty are critical in ensuring the quality of the educational experience in their courses and in their academic program, and in helping each student achieve their desired goals.
Graduate Faculty Membership Roles define the tasks various faculty and select academic professionals complete in service of the mission of Graduate Education at WVU. These tasks include defining the type of committee participation, instruction, advising, and service work a member may undertake. Members are expected to participate in mentorship activities and training as required by their college or school, and to stay up to date with the policies and procedures of graduate academic affairs included in the graduate and professional catalog, the faculty handbook, the Office of Graduate Education and Life’s website and other communications. Through these activities, graduate faculty advance the institution’s land grant mission and exemplify the university’s core values.
Policy
Membership roles are each associated with a set of approved responsibilities. Approved responsibilities constitute the activities a member may engage in, but a member needn’t engage in all activities listed. Colleges will use the university guidelines to develop policies and procedures relative to these roles that are appropriate for their programs and that are consistent with the appointments individuals hold. College/school criteria may be more, but not less, stringent than the University-wide criteria described in this document.
Each college, school or approved supervisory body must:
- Establish and publish guidelines for application, evaluation, and appointment processes and criteria for graduate faculty membership
- Define any particular quantitative/qualitative criteria regarding scholarly activity; what constitutes equivalent experience (consistent with accreditation); and other membership responsibilities as appropriate
- Apply these criteria to the appointment and continuation of graduate faculty membership
- Establish an appropriate schedule for evaluating individuals for initial appointments and changes in membership
- Continue, discontinue or change an individual’s role at least once every three years
- Seek approval for amendments or changes to college/school policies or procedures from Graduate Council (submitted care of the associate provost for graduate academic affairs).
The Office of Graduate Education and Life maintains and publishes the list of the members of the graduate faculty. The Office of Graduate Education and Life will contact colleges prior to the start of each new academic year to request an updated list of membership and an updated list of graduate program coordinators or other individuals who need to regularly receive graduate academic affairs updates.
Membership on Graduate Faculty
The use of the guidelines for appointment and/or continuation of membership roles is at the discretion of the college or supervisory body, provided they are consistent with the university policy. Appointment or continuation of a specific membership role should be consistent with the membership guidelines outlined below. Newly hired faculty members, of any academic rank, may be appointed as regular graduate faculty members, associate graduate faculty members or graduate faculty instructors, as determined by the process in their college or school.
Regular Graduate Faculty Membership exists for individuals who chair thesis or dissertation projects, chair dissertation or thesis advisory committees and/or regularly serve on such committees due to the nature of their academic appointment or their expertise. Members must hold an appointment in an academic department, program or school and typically will hold a tenure-track position. Regular graduate faculty, under all circumstances, must hold an appointment that includes research or creative achievement as defined by their school or college and the instruction of graduate students as a percentage of their evaluated activity.
Roles and Responsibilities (one or more of the following):
- Serve as the chair for thesis or dissertation committees.
- Serve on thesis or dissertation committees.
- Instruct graduate courses via classroom lecturing, online course delivery or experiential learning (including, but not limited to clinical, laboratory, studio, field or practicum instruction).
- Serve on graduate council.
- Serve as a director of graduate studies (or equivalent program title).
- Serve on committees to advance graduate academic affairs (including, but not limited to, committees for admission, curriculum, examinations or program milestones or policy).
- Advise graduate/professional students and take on other formalized mentorship roles.
Appointment and Evaluation
- Must hold a terminal degree or have demonstrated equivalent scholarly or creative achievement as approved (consistent with accreditation) by their school or college.
- Typically, individuals without a terminal degree will have attained the rank of associate professor. Alternatively, the college or school may have written guidelines for equivalent experience necessary for chairing projects or committee participation.
- The continuation of regular membership must include a review of all scholarly/creative activities and reaffirm the individual’s engagement with mentorship and current graduate studies policies.
- Individuals who are not eligible to serve as the sole chair of master’s or PhD committees are not eligible for Regular membership.
Associate Graduate Faculty Membership
Associate Graduate Faculty Membership exists to allow graduate faculty membership for individuals who possess specialized training, experience, or certification required for specific committee service. Associate members may also teach graduate courses, but to do so they must hold an appointment or courtesy appointment in an academic department or program. Members who wish to co-chair and/or serve on committees must have the skills or activities that qualify them for associate membership evaluated on a routine basis. Colleges should establish a plan for their associate members to be credited for committee service in their annual evaluation process.
Roles and Responsibilities (one or more of the following):
- Serve as the co-chair for thesis or dissertation committees, provided the other co-chair has regular membership.
- Serve on thesis or dissertation committees.
- Instruct graduate courses via classroom lecturing, online course delivery or experiential learning (including, but not limited to clinical, laboratory, studio, field or practicum instruction).
- Serve on committees to advance graduate academic affairs (including, but not limited to, committees for admission, curriculum, examinations or program milestones or policy).
- Advise graduate students and take on other formalized mentorship roles.
- Associate members are not eligible to serve on graduate council.
Appointment and Evaluation
- Must hold a terminal degree or have demonstrated equivalent scholarly or creative achievement as defined by their school, college or supervisory body.
- The continuation of associate membership must include a review of approved committee service qualifications and reaffirm the individual’s engagement with mentorship and current graduate studies policies.
- With the permission of the graduate council, an individual who is not employed at WVU may hold associate membership. Once permission is granted, the college may oversee the appointment and continuation of those members.
- Associate membership should only be granted to individuals who will have a sustained involvement with graduate education at WVU.
Graduate Faculty Instructor Membership
Graduate Faculty Instructor Membership exists to recognize the contributions of faculty with specialized training, expertise or other qualifications for teaching at the graduate level. Members will be evaluated per the terms of their academic appointment.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Instruct graduate courses via classroom lecturing, online course delivery or experiential learning (including, but not limited to clinical, laboratory, studio, field or practicum instruction) on a routine basis.
- Graduate Faculty Instructors do not advise/provide academic supervision of graduate students or participate on committees for theses, dissertations or equivalent projects (unless in the role of non-member).
- Graduate Faculty Instructors do not serve on graduate council or hold any positions associated with other membership categories.
Appointment and Evaluation
- Colleges or schools are responsible for ensuring such appointments are consistent with the University’s faculty qualifications and accreditation policy.
- Colleges are responsible for overseeing their roster of graduate faculty instructors. The list will not be maintained at the university level as these members do not serve on committees or on graduate council.
Emeritus Graduate Faculty Membershipp
Emeritus Graduate Faculty Membership exists primarily to allow retired faculty to complete any committee responsibilities or other commitments to graduate students. New responsibilities should only be assigned if the individual continues to be evaluated in the process the college or school has developed for emeritus faculty.
Roles and Responsibilities
- May remain on the graduate faculty upon conferral of emeritus status by the college/school/program.
- Continue to serve in the role they previously held (regular, associate or instructor) so long as they continue to satisfy the college/school’s continuation requirements.
Appointment and Evaluation
- Emeritus Graduate Faculty must still be included in the college/school’s review process.
- An emeritus member’s activities can continue as defined by their role, with the exception that the university requires there be at least one co-chair who is a current WVU faculty member at the time of a defense of a thesis or dissertation.
- As co-chair, an emeritus member can complete any existing thesis or dissertation oversight established prior to retirement.
- Emeritus graduate faculty may not accept new commitments to be the sole chair of a thesis or dissertation once emeritus status has been conferred.
- Emeritus graduate faculty do not serve on graduate council.
Requests for Temporary Appointment
Colleges may request temporary graduate faculty membership for a period of up to two consecutive semesters for any faculty or other qualified individual. Temporary membership allows a non-member of the Graduate Faculty to instruct at the graduate level. Approval beyond two consecutive semesters may be considered only in extraordinary circumstances. An additional request for an individual should only be made in the event of new circumstances.
To Make a Request
The department/program should make such a request of their dean’s office that includes
- A justification for the temporary appointment.
- The teaching duties associated with the request.
- An explanation of the faculty member’s qualifications for teaching at the graduate level.
Additional Policies, Procedures and Exceptions
- It is expected that when a regular member directs a student thesis, dissertation or equivalent project required for graduation, it will not be for a project at a level beyond the highest credential the member holds. In the College of Creative arts, where the college practice is to determine regular graduate faculty membership based on demonstrated equivalent scholarly or creative achievement, this rule does not apply. Other colleges may have instances where similar exceptions are necessary. These should be approved by graduate council if the need arises and be included in the college or governing body’s policies.
- In the College of Creative Arts (CCA) only, regular graduate faculty members may hold an appointment in a tenure-track, teaching or service position; either hold the terminal degree or have attained the rank of Associate Professor and demonstrated a level of professional activity which is the equivalent of a terminal degree; have an approved exception from the CCA associate dean documenting that past and current research and teaching accomplishments can be used as justifications for the direction of specific types of projects.
- Individuals without appointments in academic departments or programs may apply for associate graduate faculty membership by submitting a request to their supervisor. If the supervisor approves, a request may be forwarded to the Graduate Council, care of the associate provost for graduate academic affairs. The request to Graduate Council should:
- describe the specialized training, experience, or certification that would make the individual a valuable committee member
- describe the individual’s qualifications
- describe the unit’s process for the routine evaluation of the individual’s continued engagement in scholarly/creative activities, mentorship and current graduate studies policies
- Associate members may be WVU faculty, non-faculty professionals with terminal degrees or equivalent expertise, or faculty members at other institutions (provided they continue to be part of the established evaluation processes). However, associate membership should be:
- reserved for such individuals who will have a sustained engagement with graduate education at WVU
- granted to individuals who will be part of the college/school or supervisory body’s routine evaluation process
- Otherwise, the individual may serve with a temporary appointment or in the capacity of a non-member of a given committee.
- Individuals who wish to apply for membership as Graduate Faculty Instructor, and whose primary faculty appointment is through an academic unit, should seek approval from their academic unit. Individuals who wish to apply for membership as Graduate Faculty Instructor who do not have a primary or courtesy appointment in an academic unit should first seek a courtesy appointment within an academic department.
- Appointment to the graduate faculty for WVU faculty members must be through the college/school in which they hold their primary faculty appointment. Faculty members may request appointment to the graduate faculty in other colleges/schools, but may not be designated a regular graduate faculty member in any college/school if that status is not held in the primary college/school. Individuals with joint appointments will go by the primary academic home.
- Graduate faculty members who leave WVU may continue to serve on student committees with their same graduate faculty membership established prior to their departure. This serves to minimize disruption on committees and allow departing faculty to complete any commitments they wish to finish out. This exception ends when all commitments have been completed. The policies in the graduate catalog for committees and defenses still apply.
- An individual whose graduate faculty membership is changed in any way will be permitted to complete current responsibilities (provided the guidelines for committees specified in the catalog are observed). Additional responsibilities must be consistent with the new membership category.
- No candidate for a degree at WVU may serve on graduate committees in their program of enrollment.
- Additional responsibilities can be found in the faculty handbook .
- Governance and routine review of the policy will be managed by the associate and associate provosts for graduate academic affairs and the graduate council.
Requests for Exceptions
Requests may be submitted by the college or school to the Graduate Council, care of the associate provost for graduate academic affairs.
Appeals
Appeals regarding graduate faculty membership classification shall be handled through the grievance procedures described in W.VA. Code 6C-2
Last revision May 2023