Committee Charge

Review the initial proposed college/school-specific qualifications for nomination to the Graduate Faculty and Approval to Teach by non-members of the Graduate Faculty as submitted by each college/school Graduate Faculty Nomination Evaluation Committee (GFNEC).

Rationale

The Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Faculty Status proposed revisions to GCAC-101 Graduate Faculty Membership that were approved by Graduate Council in Spring 2022. In part, these revisions stipulate that Graduate Faculty Nomination Evaluation Committee (GFNEC) shall create college/school-specific Graduate Faculty membership qualifications that interpret the general guidelines provided in the policy. Under GCAC-101, these proposed qualifications would typically be submitted to the Committee on Academic Standards and the Dean of the Graduate School for approval. Given a number of pressing issues currently under consideration by the Committee on Academic Standards and the anticipated workload of the initial round of review, the Ad Hoc Committee on Graduate Faculty Status recommended that Council consider forming an additional ad hoc committee to focus solely on the review and approval of the proposed college/school-specific qualifications.

Outcome

A report of recommended qualifications for Graduate Faculty nominations and Approval to Teach for each college/school offering graduate programs is requested. Recommendations developed by the Ad Hoc Committee will be brought to the Graduate Council and the Dean of the Graduate School for final review and approval.

Time Frame

The committee will begin to solicit GFNEC qualifications in Fall 2022 and expects to complete the majority of review by the end of Spring 2023. Any remaining proposals which have not been approved by Spring are expected to be completed by the end of the 2023 calendar year at which point the on-going work would transition to the Committee on Academic Standards.

Selection of Committee Membership

The Chair proposes that this committee includes at least two past or present members of Graduate Council, preferably members who have experience with the Academic Standards committee, a representative from the Graduate School, and a Graduate Faculty representative from each college/school, to be nominated by the Associate Deans of Graduate Education. The Chair, working with the Chair-Elect and the Graduate School, will solicit committee membership nominations and propose the membership to Council for approval.

Membership

• Barbara Birriel, Assistant Research Professor, College of Nursing
• Darrell Cockburn, Assistant Professor of Food Science, College of Agricultural Sciences
• Andy Cole, Professor of Landscape Architecture, College of Arts and Architecture
• James Dillard, Distinguished Professor of Communications Arts and Sciences, College of the Liberal Arts
• Stuart Echols, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, College of Arts and Architecture
• Charles Geier, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Health and Human Development
• Daning Huang, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering
• Don Hummer, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Penn State Harrisburg
• Carol LaRegina, Senior Instructor in Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine
• Hong Ma, Professor of Biology, Eberly College of Science
• Meg Meloy, David H. McKinley Professor of Business Administration, Smeal College of Business
• Ray Najjar, Professor of Oceanography, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
• William Rothwell, Professor of Workforce Education, College of Education
• Sagnika Sen, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Penn State Great Valley
• Heather Shoenberger, Assistant Professor of Advertising and Public Relations, Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications
• Michael Verderame, Senior Associate Dean, The Graduate School
• Jan Reimann, Chair of the Graduate Council, Ex Officio