1. Provost's Office
  2. Governance, Policies and Procedures
  3. Graduate Council Policy and Procedure

Graduate Council Policy and Procedure

The Graduate Council is the academic governing body of The Graduate School and University Center, and the Bylaws of Graduate Council set forth its rules of governance. Members include representatives of the faculty, doctoral students, and administration. The President of The Graduate Center is the Chair of Graduate Council. The Executive Committee of Graduate Council formulates the agenda and brings actions to Graduate Council, which meets four times each year. Graduate Council is concerned with such matters as curriculum, degree requirements, standards of admission, academic performance, and program governance. Much of the work of Graduate Council is done through its standing committees.

The Graduate Council is composed of Executive Officers, members of the doctoral faculty, and graduate students who are elected to represent the various disciplines. The Graduate Council Bylaws specify who are voting and nonvoting members. Faculty and student representatives are elected from each program (one each for every 100 matriculated doctoral students) every other spring under the supervision of an election committee established by the program's Executive Committee in accordance with Section 2.1D of the Bylaws.

Elections of faculty and student program representatives to Graduate Council are required to be conducted every two years, before April 1, by an election committee in each program; the basic formula for the election is one faculty and one doctoral student representative for each hundred or fewer matriculated doctoral students (GC Bylaws 2.1A–E). All matriculated doctoral students are eligible to be elected to the Council. Neither faculty members nor doctoral students on leave of absence are eligible to serve. The procedures for electing new faculty and student representatives is as follows: in each program the Executive Committee establishes an election committee consisting of the Executive Officer, three faculty members, and three doctoral student members. This committee has responsibility for nomination and election procedures. Faculty members vote for faculty representatives only; doctoral students vote for student members only.

For information on Graduate Council and its bylaws and committees, contact the Provost's Office. The Graduate Council meetings for 2022-2023 are at 3:00 p.m. on the following days:

  • October 19, 2022

  • December 14, 2022

  • March 15, 2023

  • May 10, 2023

Download the Graduate Council Bylaws

Graduate Council Committees

(Bylaws of the Graduate Council, Section 2.3D)

The Executive Committee of the Council shall be composed of the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary of the Council, Chair of the Committee on Curriculum and Degree Requirements, Chair of the Committee on Structure, Chair of the Doctoral Faculty Policy Committee, one Co-Chair of the Doctoral and Graduate Students' Council, a Faculty Senator elected by and from among the Graduate Center Senators elected to the University Faculty Senate, a Student Senator elected by and from among the Graduate Center Senators to the University Student Senate, and the Provost (nonvoting) or the Provost's designee.

The Executive Committee of Graduate Council shall be responsible for formulating the agenda and bringing resolutions, issues, and actions to Council for its consideration.

2022-2023 Members:

  • Chair – TBA
  • Vice Chair – Professor Peter Eckersall (Theatre)
  • Secretary – TBA
  • Chair of Curriculum and Degree Requirements Committee – Professor Duncan Faherty
  • Chair of Structure Committee – TBA
  • Doctoral Faculty Policy Committee – Professor Barbara Weinstein
  • University Faculty Senate Faculty Representative (ex officio) – Professor Martin Burke
  • Provost Steve Everett (ex officio)
  • DGSC Co-Chair – Christopher Campbell
  • University Student Senate Delegate – Alex Jiang

(Bylaws of the Graduate Council, Section 3.2A)

Reviews on a continuing basis the structure and operation of the Graduate Council Bylaws and the governance of each of the degree and other Graduate Center educational programs.

Considers the organization of the University for work leading to the doctoral degree and degrees granted in other graduate programs of The Graduate Center.

Considers any appeals submitted by faculty and/or doctoral students regarding any program's policy, practice, and procedures where such appeals pertain to the program's governance or its operation.

Reviews on a continuing basis doctoral student participation in governance.

2022-2023 Members:

  • Professor Jill Cirasella (Library)
  • Professor Christos Giannikos (Economics)
  • Professor Jane Marcus-Delgado (LAILAC)
  • Professor Merih Uctum (Economics)
  • Amy Hammersmith (Comparative Literature)
  • Gayle Maslow (Urban Education)
  • Stefan Morello (English)
  • Provost Steve Everett (ex officio)

Bylaws of the Graduate Council

Considers general educational policy concerning curriculum and the review and reevaluation of graduate programs of The Graduate Center.

Makes recommendations to Graduate Council concerning Graduate Center courses, programs, and curricula leading to a graduate degree or certificate. This responsibility includes recommendations about the addition and withdrawal of programs and courses and changes in titles, descriptions, and prerequisites for courses.

Reviews standards and requirements for doctoral degrees to be granted by the University and for degrees granted by the University in nondoctoral graduate programs of The Graduate Center.

Recommends standards of admission to the graduate programs of The Graduate Center.

Recommends standards of retention and matriculation for the graduate degree programs of The Graduate Center.

Recommends standards for defining "full-time students" and "residence," and for the granting of leaves of absence to students, as well as for setting maximum periods for the earning of the doctoral degree and for degrees granted in other graduate programs of The Graduate Center.

Designates curricular items on the Graduate Council agenda as major or minor items.

Considers appeals submitted by faculty and doctoral students regarding any program's policy, practice, and procedures where such appeals pertain to the program's curriculum and academic policy.

2022-2023 Members:

  • Professor Alyson Cole (Political Science)
  • Professor Duncan Faherty (English)
  • Professor Elizabeth Macaulay (MALS)
  • Professor Jeff Maskovsky (Anthropology)
  • Professor Domna Stanton (French)
  • Tatiana Nunez (Comparative Literature)
  • Parisa Osmanovic (Sociology)
  • Lydia Paradiso (Biology)
  • Interim Associate Provost Monica Varsanyi (ex officio)

(Bylaws of the Graduate Council, Section 3.2C)

Recommends policy affecting research undertaken under the aegis of The Graduate Center or involving the commitment of its resources for such research.

2022-2023 Members:

  • Professor Elvis Bakaitis (Library)
  • Professor Miles Corak (Economics)
  • Professor Erec Koch (French)
  • Professor Tony Ro (Psychology)
  • Carly Batist (Anthropology)
  • Ashwin Kumar (International Migration Studies)
  • Daniel Okpattah (Biochemistry)
  • Dean Josh Brumberg (ex officio)
  • Director of Sponsored Research Huyuni Suratt (ex officio)
  • Director of the HRPP Rebecca Banchik (ex officio)

(Bylaws of the Graduate Council, Section 3.2D)

Solicits nominations from the faculty and students of The Graduate School for faculty and student candidates for the committees of Graduate Council, to prepare a slate of faculty and student candidates from these nominations, and to prepare a list of alternates to fill such vacancies as may arise on these committees.

Supervises the counting of ballots in committee elections.

2022-2023 Members:

  • Professor Herman Bennett (History)
  • Professor Richard Churchill (Mathematics)
  • Professor Rachel Corkle (French)
  • Professor Bettina Lerner (Comparative Literature)
  • Eric Barenboim (LAILAC)
  • Jonathan Hanon (Computer Science)
  • Gayle Maslow (Urban Education)
  • Brieanna Scolaro (Social Welfare)

(Bylaws of the Graduate Council, Section 3.2E)

Considers and makes recommendations on such matters as student employment, housing, food services, health services, recreational facilities, and other similar services.

Reviews and recommends policy and standards concerning financial aid to doctoral students.

Reviews and recommends policy for registration and payment of tuition and fees.

2022-2023 Members:

  • Professor Elvis Bakaitis (Library)
  • Professor Maxime Blanchard (French)
  • Professor Monica Calabritto (Comparative Literature)
  • Professor Giancarlo Lombardi (Comparative Literature)
  • Adam Kocurek (History)
  • Ariel Leutheusser (Comparative Literature)
  • Cristina Pardo Porto (LAILAC)
  • VP of Student Affairs Matthew Schoengood (ex officio)

(Bylaws of the Graduate Council, Section 3.2F)

Considers and makes recommendations to the Office of the Provost concerning student academic appeals that proceed beyond the level of the degree program, including appeals of grades and termination as outlined in the Graduate Center Student Handbook.

Membership consists of nine members of the doctoral faculty: three each from the sciences and engineering, social sciences, and humanities. Terms of service on the committee are three years staggered.

2021-2022 Members:

Humanities

  • Prof. Martin Burke, History
  • Prof. Duncan Faherty, English
  • Prof. Domna Stanton, French

Social Sciences

  • Prof. Mary Clare Lennon, Sociology
  • Prof. Michelle Fine, Psychology
  • Prof. Martin Ruck, Developmental Psych., Urban Ed.

Sciences

  • Prof. Orie Shafer (Bio/ASRC)
  • ​Prof. Yehuda Klein, EES
  • Prof. Robert Thompson, Mathematics

(Bylaws of the Graduate Council, Section 3.2G)

Recommends policies for developing library resources for instruction and research.

Recommends policy for operating the Library.

2022-2023 Members:

  • Professor Siraj Ahmed (English)
  • Professor Martin Burke (History)
  • Professor Christos Giannikos (Economics)
  • Professor Anne Stone (Music)
  • Tysean Bucknor (Linguistics)
  • Amy Iafrate (Women’s Studies)
  • Eddie Pesante-Gonzalez (Anthropology)
  • Executive Chief Librarian Maura Smale (ex officio)

(Bylaws of the Graduate Council, Section 3.2H)

Considers recommendations from The Graduate Center community related to information technology.

Reviews the policies and practices of the Office of Information Technology.

Communicates these recommendations to the administrative officer responsible for information technology.

Recommends policies related to information technology.

2022-2023 Members:

  • Professor Matt Gold (MALS)
  • Professor Ping Ji (Computer Science)
  • Professor Michael Mandiberg (ITP)
  • Professor Steve Zweibel (Library)
  • Gisely Colon-Lopez (Urban Education)
  • Jonathan Hanon (Computer Science)
  • Ian Williams (Social Welfare)
  • Executive Chief Librarian Maura Smale (ex officio)
  • Interim AVP for IT and CIO Jeff Barnes (ex officio)
  •  

(Bylaws of the Graduate Council, Section 3.2I)

2022-2023 Members:

  • Professor Jean Graham-Jones (Theatre)
  • Professor Ping Ji (Computer Science)
  • Professor Louise Lennihan (Anthropology)
  • Professor Giancarlo Lombardi (Comparative Literature)
  • Professor Jeff Maskovsky (Anthropology)
  • Professor Barbra Teater (Social Welfare)
  • Professor Van Tran (Sociology)
  • Professor Julia Wrigley (Sociology)
  • Shawnda Chapman (Social Welfare)
  • Jonathan Hanon (Computer Science)
  • Parisa Montazaran Osmanovic (Sociology)
  • Christina Weinbaum (Philosophy)
  • Luke Waltzer (Director, Teaching and Learning Center)
  • Les Gribben (Director of Admissions; Chair of the HEO Screening Committee, ex officio)
  • Martin Ruck (Senior Advisor to the President for Diversity and Inclusion, ex officio)
  • Maura Smale (Executive Chief Librarian, ex officio)
  • Silvia Rivera Alfaro (Co-Chair of the DGSC, ex officio)