If you are a tenured or tenure-track IU faculty member, you have been automatically granted graduate faculty status. Non-tenure-track faculty or other appointees can also be granted graduate faculty status through a nomination process. For questions about the roster, contact Jeff Rutherford at jruther@iu.edu.
Policies on graduate faculty membership
How to nominate
Non-tenure-track faculty or other appointees must be nominated by their department to receive graduate faculty status. The nominating department must send a brief memo and a copy of the faculty member’s curriculum vitae to the Dean of the University Graduate School.
In this case, graduate faculty status can only be granted for a term not to exceed the nominee’s contract period.
Additionally, emeritus faculty members retain some rights and privileges of faculty.
Graduate Faculty Emeritus Roster
The dean of the University Graduate School may revoke graduate faculty status for egregious behavior or scholarly or scientific misconduct upon the recommendation of the Graduate Faculty Council.
Dissertation endorsements
In addition to Graduate Faculty membership, faculty must hold the Endorsement to Direct Doctoral Research in order to chair dissertation committees. At least half of the members of each dissertation committee must have this endorsement. These endorsements are not automatically conferred.
Policy for nominating faculty for graduate faculty membership
(approved by the Graduate Council, Oct. 4, 2004)
“All tenure-track faculty are granted graduate faculty status at the time of appointment. Non-tenure-track faculty or other appointees (such as research scientists) can also be appointed to graduate faculty status for a term not to exceed their employment contract; the nominating department should send a brief memo and a copy of the faculty member’s vita.
An endorsement to chair doctoral dissertation committees is granted separately from graduate faculty status by a vote of a departmental advisory or steering committee, or by a majority vote of the departmental graduate faculty with the endorsement in a program or department authorized to offer the PhD, or by some other review process appropriate for the unit. Faculty who receive this endorsement must hold a tenured or tenure-eligible faculty appointment at Indiana University, but do not necessarily have to hold that appointment within the unit conferring the endorsement. However, if the faculty member is appointed outside the unit conferring the endorsement, s/he must participate substantially in doctoral education within the department or program conferring the endorsement. The program director or chair shall notify the Dean of the Graduate School of the election of the faculty to this status.
In addition, graduate faculty status with or without endorsement to chair PhD dissertation committees may be granted by the Dean of the Graduate School upon successful petition by the head of the faculty member’s unit. The head should send a brief memo explaining the request with a copy of the vita.
Graduate faculty status can be revoked for egregious behavior or scholarly or scientific misconduct by the Dean of the Graduate School upon the recommendation of the Graduate School Council.”
Following the 2004 Graduate Council resolution, “full” members of the graduate faculty became members of the graduate faculty with the endorsement to chair doctoral committees; “associate” members became members of the graduate faculty. (The terms “full” and “associate” are no longer used in this context).
In January 2017, “regular” faculty appointments were retermed to “tenured or tenure-eligible” faculty appointments in the requirements for the endorsement to direct doctoral dissertation committees.
How to secure an endorsement
A departmental advisory or steering committee must vote to nominate a graduate faculty member for an endorsement to chair doctoral dissertation committees. Departments may also select another appropriate review process, such as a majority vote of the department’s graduate faculty members who hold the endorsement.
After the vote, the department chair must send a brief nomination memo to University Graduate School Bloomington Dean David Daleke indicating that the endorsement nomination is supported by a departmental vote or advisory committee. The memo must include a curriculum vitae for the nominee.
Faculty members who receive this endorsement must hold a regular faculty appointment at IU, but not necessarily in the department or program conferring the endorsement. However, faculty members outside of the department or program must participate substantially in doctoral education within that program to be eligible.
Finalizing faculty appointments and changes
Initial academic appointments, promotions, and end of faculty services at IU must be finalized with the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs.
Contact the office at (812) 855-0202 to learn how to process the following appointments/changes:
- Initial academic appointments
- Named professorships
- Adjunct faculty
- Emeritus status
- Leaving IU
Once processed, all faculty changes should be updated in the University Graduate School Bulletin.