University Senate Charter Amendment No.: 1516-02A
UNIVERSITY SENATE
UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Introduced by:
Governance Council
Date:
October 19, 2015
Amendment RE: Updates to Section X.4 (GAC)
IT IS HEREBY PROPOSED THAT THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED:
•
That the proposed amendments of the University Senate Charter Faculty be adopted
•
That these amendments go into effect immediately
Current Charter:
X.4. GRADUATE ACADEMIC COUNCIL
[…]
X.4.6. The Council, through its Committee on Curriculum and Instruction, shall have
responsibility for the graduate academic curriculum. The committee shall have no more than eight
members and shall include at least five Teaching Faculty, at least two of whom are on the Council.
X.4.6.1. The committee shall consider all revisions to existing graduate degree programs and
shall submit all recommended changes to the Council for final approval.
X.4.6.2. New graduate courses and changes to existing graduate courses receive final approval
from the schools and colleges, subject to appropriate notification, but the Graduate Academic
Council shall have the power to review new courses and changes to existing courses and require
reconsideration by the schools and colleges. Notification should be made to the Graduate
Academic Council, to the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies, the Office of the Vice
President or Dean of the affected college or school, and to all other interested parties. [Section X.
4.6.2 revised by amendment 5/2/05]
[…]
X.4.8. The Council, through its Committee on Educational Policy and Procedure shall provide
recommendations on policies concerning the administration and the conduct of graduate programs.
The committee shall consist of no more than eight members, including at least five Teaching
Faculty, at least two of whom are on the Council, and no more than 2 voting members selected from
Faculty or Staff who are not students or Voting Faculty.
X.4.8.1. The committee shall recommend to the Council such graduate academic regulations as it
deems necessary.
X.4.8.2. The committee shall insure and review procedures for individual student academic
grievances at school and college levels.
X.4.8.3. The committee shall submit all recommendations to the Council for approval. Policy
changes are then brought to the Senate for consideration if approved by the Council.
Proposed Revisions to the Charter:
X.4. GRADUATE ACADEMIC COUNCIL
[…]
X.4.6. The Council, through its Committee on Curriculum and Instruction, shall have
responsibility for the graduate academic curriculum. The committee shall have no more than eight
members and shall include at least five Teaching Faculty, at least two of whom are on the Council.
X.4.6.1. The committee shall consider all revisions to existing graduate degree programs and
shall submit all recommended changes to the Council for final approval.
X.4.6.2. New graduate courses and changes to existing graduate courses receive final approval
from the schools and colleges, subject to appropriate notification, but the Graduate Academic
Council shall have the power to review new courses and changes to existing courses and require
reconsideration by the schools and colleges. Notification should be made to the Graduate
Academic Council, to the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies, the Office of the Vice
President or Dean of the affected college or school, and to all other interested parties. [Section X.
4.6.2 revised by amendment 5/2/05]
[…]
X.4.8. The Council, through its Committee on Educational Policy and Procedure shall provide
recommendations on policies concerning the administration and the conduct of graduate programs.
The committee shall consist of no more than eight members, including at least five Teaching
Faculty, at least two of whom are on the Council, and no more than 2 voting members selected from
Faculty or Staff who are not students or Voting Faculty.
X.4.8.1. The committee shall recommend to the Council such graduate academic regulations as it
deems necessary.
X.4.8.2. The committee shall insure and review procedures for individual student academic
grievances at school and college levels.
X.4.8.3. The committee shall submit all recommendations to the Council for approval. Policy
additions and/or changes are then brought to the Senate for consideration if approved by the
Council.
Rationale
In response to a request from the 2014-15 Senate Chair Joette Stefl-Mabry that each Senate council
examine its section of the Senate Charter and propose any updates as warranted, the GAC met on
October 21, 2014 and recommended by a vote of 12-0-0 to propose the above changes. These changes
were endorsed by the Governance Council on May 6, 2015.
The editorial change to X.4.6.2 removes unnecessary procedural references while maintaining the
Council’s authority in supervising graduate education on the campus.
The editorial change to X.4.8.3 adds clarifying language regarding the need for the Senate to take
action to both establish and modify graduate academic policies.
