Membership. The Graduate Council shall consist of the deans of the Graduate College as ex officio nonvoting members, thirteen members elected from the graduate faculty, and four graduate students chosen by the Graduate Student Senate for one-year terms.

Faculty representation on the Graduate Council shall consist of twelve collegiate representatives and one at-large representative. One collegiate representative shall be elected by the graduate faculty of each of the colleges of Business, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Graduate College, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health. Three collegiate representatives shall be elected by the graduate faculty of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The one at-large representative shall be elected by the graduate faculty as a whole.

Duties of the Council shall be:

1. To serve as the executive committee of the graduate faculty.
2. To assist and advise the dean in the conduct of college business, including preparation of agenda, calling of emergency meetings, and determination of the status of a staff member where doubt exists as to his or her eligibility for membership in the graduate faculty.
3. To evaluate new graduate programs and revisions in existing programs, including nondepartmental and interdisciplinary programs, and to make recommendations to the graduate faculty on new programs and on such aspects of curricula as will maintain uniform and effective educational policy.
4. To supervise the codification of current rules and regulations of the faculty.
5. To assist the dean, upon request, in the formulation of administrative decisions or judgments.
6. To confer with the dean on matters of policy regarding the professional welfare of the faculty.

Term of Office for Faculty Members. Council members shall be elected to serve for a term of three years, and shall take office at the opening of the fall semester following election.

Presiding Officer. The dean of the Graduate College, or his/her designate, shall act as presiding officer of the council.

Advisory Committee. The Graduate College dean may select members of the Graduate Council to serve on an ad hoc advisory committee. The major function of such a committee will be to consult with the dean on special topics that do not require the decision of the full council.

Election Procedure for Faculty Members.

1. Eligibility. All members of the tenure-track graduate faculty shall be eligible for membership on the Graduate Council, except for the president, vice-presidents, and deans. Associate and assistant deans and directors who are substantially engaged in teaching and research are eligible. A member may be elected to consecutive terms.
2. Elections of collegiate representatives. In the spring of a year in which the term of a collegiate representative is to expire, an election will be held by the graduate faculty within that college to elect a successor. Such elections must occur at least six weeks prior to the election of at-large representatives as described below.
3. Elections of at-large representatives. To elect at-large representatives, the Graduate Council shall nominate three candidates for any at-large vacancy. Results of elections for collegiate representatives will be taken into consideration by the Graduate Council.

   Balloting for at-large representatives shall be done electronically.

   The nominees receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected to regular terms. The nominees receiving the next highest votes shall, in order, fill any irregular terms resulting, for example, from leaves or resignations of an at-large representative.

   In case of a tie, a Board of Tellers composed of three members of the council appointed by the dean shall determine the choice by lot.

4. Vacancies. Procedures for filling vacancies of collegiate representatives for the remainder of the term shall be established by each of the colleges. In the case of a vacancy of an at-large council representative, the Graduate Dean shall appoint the faculty member receiving the next highest vote in the last at-large election to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
5. Election date. The date for the election of at-large members of the Graduate Council shall correspond to the date for elections to the University Faculty Council.