Graduate Faculty Representative

All Doctor of Education (EdD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) doctoral candidates at Boise State University are required to identify and contact a Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR) for their supervisory (defense) committee, and to nominate the GFR on their Appointment of Supervisory Committee form (https://www.boisestate.edu/graduatecollege/forms/). The GFR at Boise State University serves as a symbol of campus-wide fairness, upholds the rigor of the graduate process, and is an impartial representative of the Graduate College to the doctoral student and their supervisory committee.

The GFR, as a non-voting member of the supervisory committee, does not count towards any Graduate College supervisory committee composition polices (for example, rules regarding the minimum or maximum number of members on the committee, or the department(s) from which committee members must be drawn).

The GFR is not expected to participate in the doctoral candidate’s dissertation work or to meet with the full supervisory committee during the candidacy period, but rather to be available, should problems or issues arise with the candidate, and to be an impartial advocate for the doctoral student. If everything goes smoothly during the candidacy period, it is expected that the doctoral candidate will never need to meet with the GFR. During the oral defense procedure the GFR is responsible for making sure that each element of the defense is conducted in a way that is consistent with Graduate College guidelines.

The GFR must be a member of the Graduate Faculty, cannot be an Affiliate, Adjunct or Emeritus member of the Graduate Faculty, and cannot be a member of the Graduate Program (or affiliated programs in the case of interdisciplinary programs,) that is granting the doctoral degree. It is strongly encouraged that doctoral candidates invite GFRs from outside of their Colleges.

PhD and EdD candidates, in consult with their Supervisory Committee Chair (Major Advisor) or Graduate Program Coordinator, are responsible for identifying a GFR. The Graduate College maintains a list of Approved Graduate Faculty which includes the Faculty members’ names, titles, and appointment categories (Graduate Faculty, Affiliate Graduate Faculty, Adjunct Graduate Faculty, and Emeriti Graduate Faculty) from which the doctoral candidate may identify potential GFRs to contact.

Due to the length of many candidacy periods, a doctoral candidate may need to identify a replacement GFR, should the GFR become unable to serve (for any reason, including sabbatical, retirement, or if for some reason the GFR is no longer a Faculty member at Boise State University.) This is not a problem, and will not impact the candidate’s progress, defense, or status at Boise State University – however, the candidate will be expected to identify a replacement GFR, following the same process identified above.

When a candidate is ready to defend his or her dissertation, the full supervisory committee, including the GFR, should be consulted in order to find a defense day/time/location that is amenable to all members of the supervisory committee.

If doctoral students have any questions regarding the GFR, they are encouraged to contact their Supervisory Committee Chair (Major Advisor), Graduate Program Coordinator, or the Graduate College for clarification or help.