Members of the graduate faculty play a central role in graduate
education. They are responsible for program content, they serve on
graduate student committees, they foster University-wide research,
scholarship, and creative endeavors, and they assure the quality of
preparation of the University’s graduates. Application to and
appointment as graduate faculty occur at the college/school level. Each
college/school establishes and publishes application, evaluation, and
appointment/re-appointment processes and criteria for graduate faculty
membership. College/school criteria may be more, but not less, stringent
than the University-wide criteria described in this document.
College/school processes and criteria must be approved by the Graduate
Council.
Requirements for Membership
Regular Membership
Individuals who hold appointments at West Virginia University in
tenure-track faculty positions or in full-time non-tenure-track faculty
or faculty-equivalent positions and who are engaged in scholarly
research or creative activity may be considered for regular membership.
Regular members must present evidence of continuing scholarly
research or creative activity. Criteria usually include one or more of
the following: publication in major peer-reviewed journals, publication
of books and book chapters, invited and/or competitively selected
presentations of scholarly work at national and international meetings,
and presentations and performance of artistic work at professionally
recognized events.
Associate Membership
Individuals with ongoing involvement in graduate education
at WVU may be considered for associate membership. These individuals may
include WVU faculty members who do not meet the criteria for regular
membership, non-faculty professionals with terminal degrees or
equivalent expertise, and faculty members at other institutions.
Associate members must present evidence of continuing scholarly or
creative expertise or involvement in graduate education. Criteria
usually include one or more of the following: research activity,
scholarly publications, artistic performances or presentations,
graduate-level teaching, and service on graduate committees.
Exceptions
Graduate faculty members who leave WVU may continue to serve on
student committees with their same graduate faculty status established
prior to their departure.
Normally, no candidate for a degree at WVU may be a regular or associate member of the graduate faculty.
Emeritus faculty members may remain on the graduate faculty.
New faculty members may be appointed as regular or associate graduate faculty members.
Individual exceptions to membership criteria may be approved by the Associate Provost for Graduate Academic Affairs.
Functions of Graduate Faculty Members
Regular graduate faculty members may serve on and chair students’ thesis and dissertation committees.
Associate graduate faculty members may serve on students’ thesis and dissertation committees, but may not chair them.
Graduate faculty members serve other functions, such as chairing or
serving on other types of graduate committees and graduate program
committees, and teaching graduate courses, as determined by their
college/school.
Appointment and Evaluation of Graduate Faculty Members
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.
Colleges/schools establish an appropriate time schedule for
evaluating individuals for initial appointment to the graduate faculty
and for upgrading or downgrading graduate faculty status. At least once
every three years, a decision must be made to continue, discontinue, or
change an individual’s current level of membership. An individual whose
graduate faculty membership is discontinued or changed from regular to
associate status will be permitted to complete current responsibilities,
but may only assume additional responsibilities that are consistent
with the new status.
Appeals
Appeals regarding graduate faculty membership classification
shall be handled through grievance procedures identified in section
5.8.2 of the West Virginia University Faculty Handbook.