Graduate Faculty Appointments (Policy 4710)
University Policy 4710
Download a Printable Version of Policy 4710
Effective Date
August 05, 2022
Responsible Party
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, (208) 426-1202
Dean of the Graduate College, (208) 426-3647
Scope and Audience
This policy applies to all graduate faculty appointments.
Additional Authority
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Standards 1.C.9 and 2.F.4
- Boise State Faculty Constitution
- University Policy 4220 (Adjunct Faculty)
- University Policy 4250 (Lecturer Faculty)
- University Policy 4280 (Emeriti Faculty)
- University Policy 4290 (Annual Faculty Performance Evaluation)
- University Policy 4340 (Faculty Tenure and Promotion Guidelines)
- University Policy 4380 (Periodic Review of Tenured Faculty)
- University Policy 4490 (Clinical Faculty)
- University Policy 4560 (Workload for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty)
- University Policy 5010 (Research Faculty Policies and Procedures)
- University Policy 7000 (Position Definitions)
1. Policy Purpose
To define the scope of graduate faculty roles and responsibilities, who may serve on the graduate faculty, and the processes and terms for graduate faculty appointment, review, and appeal.
2. Policy Statement
Graduate faculty are responsible for developing and implementing high-quality graduate programs that serve to stimulate research, innovation, and the sharing of ideas, and to provide advanced professional instruction and training. As a result, the Members of the Graduate Faculty have special privileges and duties within graduate education, such as their roles in graduate student advising, mentorship, teaching, and committee membership related to theses, dissertations and other culminating projects. Graduate faculty appointments are initiated for Faculty with job responsibilities tied to graduate education upon initial hire to Boise State University, or for Faculty whose job responsibilities evolve to include activities related to graduate education.
3. Definitions
3.1 Endorsement
Approval to chair a thesis or dissertation committee associated with a graduate program. Application for an Endorsement originates at the department/program and is reviewed by the Graduate Council prior to final review by the Dean of the Graduate College. Endorsements are subject to periodic review by the department/program and the Graduate College.
3.2 Faculty
As defined in the Faculty Constitution and Policy 7000, the Faculty of the University comprises five categories of members: 1) Tenure/Tenure Eligible Faculty, 2) Teaching Faculty, 3) Clinical Faculty, 4) Research Faculty, and 5) Administrative Faculty. Associated faculty members constitute a sixth category: 6) Adjunct, Affiliate, and Visiting Faculty.
3.3 Member of the Graduate Faculty
An individual with a current Graduate Faculty appointment.
3.4 Program Signing Authority
The individual authorized to execute, authorize, and sign-off on graduate program forms and documents.
3.5 Recommendation
A formal request submitted to the Graduate College by a department or graduate program to appoint a Faculty member to the Graduate Faculty. Recommendations for appointments originate with the department/program. Appointments are subject to periodic review by the department/program and the Graduate College.
4. Expectations
a. Members of the Graduate Faculty are expected to abide by the duties and expectations set forth by the Graduate College in coordination with the academic departments and programs. To ensure high quality graduate programs, education, and mentoring, the Graduate College oversees the criteria, process, and procedures related to the granting, review, remediation, and removal of graduate faculty appointments.
b. Graduate Programs are expected to establish and maintain procedures for recommending Faculty for graduate appointment and Endorsement, including initial recommendation, periodic review, and criteria for repeal. These procedures will align with University and college/school policy.
5. Membership Categories
The Graduate College appoints individuals to the graduate faculty based upon employment status and assigned responsibilities.
5.1 Regular Graduate Faculty
a. Any full-time Faculty member with a terminal degree within their discipline and with assigned responsibilities associated with graduate education may be nominated and appointed to the Regular Graduate Faculty. This nomination will typically be made at the time of hire but can also be made when a Faculty member’s job responsibilities evolve to include activities related to graduate education.
b. Faculty eligible for nomination to the Regular Graduate Faculty includes, but is not limited to tenured and tenure-track faculty, endowed chairs, clinical faculty, research faculty, and lecturer faculty.
c. Regular Graduate Faculty are appointed by the Dean of the Graduate College for an initial period of no more than six (6) years.
d. Regular Graduate Faculty appointments are renewable for as long as the Faculty member is employed by Boise State and meets the expectations set forth by this policy.
5.2. Emeriti Graduate Faculty
a. Emeriti Faculty members who were appointed to the Regular Graduate Faculty prior to retirement may be retained as Emeriti Graduate Faculty for no more than three (3) years.
b. Emeriti Graduate Faculty appointments are not renewable.
5.3. Affiliate Graduate Faculty
a. Any Boise State University employee (either full- or part-time) with a terminal degree in their discipline, any full-time Boise State Faculty without a terminal degree in their discipline, or any full-time faculty employed at another higher education institution may be recommended for appointment to the Affiliate Graduate Faculty for an initial period of no more than three (3) years.
b. Affiliate Graduate Faculty appointments are renewable for as long as the individual meets the expectations set forth by this policy.
5.4 Adjunct Graduate Faculty
a. Individuals with appropriate degrees or experience in a given discipline may be recommended for appointment to the Adjunct Graduate Faculty for an initial period of no more than three (3) years.
b. Adjunct Graduate Faculty appointments are renewable for as long as the individual meets the expectations set forth by this policy.
6. Privileges and Duties
6.1 Teaching
To teach graduate-level courses, one must be a Member of the Graduate Faculty. For the purposes of this policy, undergraduate courses that are dual-listed with graduate courses are considered graduate-level courses. Continuing education courses are not considered to be graduate-level courses for the purpose of this policy.
6.2 Program Signing Authority
To hold Program Signing Authority for a graduate program, one must be a Member of the Graduate Faculty and a full-time employee at Boise State University.
6.3 Committee Membership
To serve as a committee member on a master’s or doctoral committee one must be a Member of the Graduate Faculty with training and experience aligned with the student’s needs.
6.4 Committee Chair
a. To serve as a Supervisory Committee chair (or co-chair), one must be a current full-time employee of Boise State University, be a current Member of the Graduate Faculty, and be endorsed by the associated program. Endorsements may be made for master’s (thesis option) supervisory committees, doctoral-only supervisory committees, or both types of supervisory committees.
b. Application for an Endorsement originates at the department/program that offers the degree(s) that the Supervisory Committee chair will supervise and is reviewed by the Graduate Council prior to final review by the Dean of the Graduate College.
6.5 Graduate Faculty Representative
Only those individuals with a Regular Graduate Faculty appointment (Section 5.1) are eligible to serve as a Graduate Faculty Representative (GFR).
6.6 Voting
Only those individuals with a Regular Graduate Faculty appointment (Section 5.1) are eligible to vote on policies and procedures related to graduate education at Boise State University.
7. Appointment Procedures
7.1 Regular Graduate Faculty
The Department Chair/Program Director (or equivalent) will submit a request directly to the Dean of the Graduate College. The request must include a completed Graduate Faculty Nomination form with the required attachments as outlined by the Graduate College (Section 10).
7.2 Emeriti Graduate Faculty
Emeriti Graduate Faculty appointments will automatically be made once the qualifying individual receives Emeriti status and approval from the appropriate department/program.
7.3 Affiliate Graduate Faculty and Adjunct Graduate Faculty
The Department Chair, Program Director (or equivalent) will submit a Graduate Faculty Nomination form to the Graduate Council justifying the appointment, accompanied by the individual’s curriculum vitae. Once approved by the Graduate Council, the nomination will be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate College for final approval.
8. Periodic Review, Modification, and Repeal
8.1 Periodic Review
a. All Graduate Faculty appointments and Endorsements are subject to periodic review by the respective department/program and the Graduate College.
b. Minimum expectations for both continued Members of the Graduate Faculty and Endorsement are:
- Verification that the individual meets the requirements stated above for the initial appointment or Endorsement (Section 7), and
- Documented evidence of the individual’s contributions to graduate education (For instance, there should be evidence that the Faculty member has been contributing to graduate education in some meaningful way, such as teaching graduate courses, serving on graduate student committees, and/or otherwise participating in advancing the scholarly mission of their academic unit.)
c. Graduate programs will establish and maintain expectations, which may go beyond the minimum expectations set forth in this policy that must be met for continued Graduate Faculty membership and Endorsement. Such program policies and associated procedures must be approved by the Regular Graduate Faculty (Section 5.1) with appointments within the program.
d. The Department Chair, Program Director (or equivalent) will submit the results of each periodic review to the Dean of the Graduate College, and should verify each Member of the Graduate Faculty’s graduate education responsibilities (for example, graduate teaching, service on master’s or dissertation supervisory committees, or chairing committees).
e. Periodic review of Graduate Faculty membership must originate from the Faculty member’s home Department/Program. Periodic review of committee chair Endorsements must originate from the Department/Program for the graduate program for which they are being endorsed. Periodic review results must be communicated to the individual under review by the Department/Program that initiates the review.
8.2 Modifications
Any modifications to the Appointment Category (Section 5) must be submitted to the Graduate College, following the procedures provided in Appointment Procedures (Section 7), with justification and any required supporting documentation. The Dean of the Graduate College will make the final decision on the proposed modification.
8.3 Repeal
a. Should a Department Chair/Program Director (or equivalent) desire to repeal a Graduate Faculty appointment or an Endorsement to chair, the Department Chair/Program Director (or equivalent) will make such a request, on department letterhead, to the Dean of the Graduate College, copying the Dean of the College associated with the Faculty member’s appointment or Endorsement. Thorough justification based upon the Graduate Program’s criteria for repeal must be provided in the letter.
b. Repeal of a Graduate Faculty appointment or Endorsement will impact an individual’s ability to participate in graduate education only.
9. Appeal
a. Individuals may appeal decisions of an academic unit and decisions of the Graduate Dean regarding their Graduate Faculty status (including membership category, privileges and Endorsements).
b. Decisions of an academic unit regarding Graduate Faculty status may be appealed to the Graduate Dean.
c. Decisions of the Graduate Dean regarding Graduate Faculty status may be appealed to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
d. The policy and procedures for appeals of Graduate Faculty status are as follows:
9.1 Who May Appeal
The appeal procedures described in this section are available to any current University employee seeking to contest a decision made by an academic unit or by the Graduate Dean regarding their Graduate Faculty status or Endorsement to chair a graduate student committee.
9.2 Timing of Appeal
Eligible individuals may appeal a decision about their Graduate Faculty status within sixty (60) calendar days of their notification of a change to or denial of Graduate Faculty membership. The time period may be extended as provided by applicable policy, for good cause, or as may be agreed to by the appellant and academic unit and approved by the Graduate Dean.
9.3 Filing of Appeal
An appeal must be submitted in writing to the Graduate Dean. It must include the specific matter(s) being appealed (e.g. Graduate Faculty privileges, including Endorsement and type of appointment), all particulars on which the appeal is based, and the specific relief sought by the appellant. The grounds for an appeal and the relief sought may not be changed after the appeal is filed.
9.4 Withdrawal of Appeal
The appellant may withdraw the appeal by written notification to the Graduate Dean. Once withdrawn, the same appeal may not be resubmitted.
9.5 Informal Review
The Graduate Dean will first seek resolution of the appeal through discussions with the parties involved. If the appellant agrees in writing to a resolution of the appeal, then the appeal process will stop at that point. Once resolved in this way, the same appeal may not be resubmitted.
9.6 Formal Review
a. If the appeal is not resolved through the informal review, then it will be forwarded to the Graduate Council for formal review. The Graduate Dean will oversee the formal review process. However, if the appeal is of a decision made by the Graduate Dean, then the Graduate Dean will recuse, and the Provost will oversee the process. The Graduate Council may interview the appellant, the chair or director of the academic unit, and members of the unit’s graduate program committee, and obtain additional documentation as needed.
b. Once the appeal is forwarded to the Graduate Council, it will have sixty (60) calendar days to submit a report of its suggestions for disposition of the appeal to the Graduate Dean and appellant. This deadline may be extended for good cause by the Graduate Dean, with notice to the appellant.
c. The report will include all documentation received by the Graduate Council, a summary of the Graduate Council’s work, and a detailed justification for the Graduate Council’s suggestions.
9.7 Decision of the Graduate Dean
Within twenty (20) calendar days after receiving the report of the Graduate Council’s suggestions, the Graduate Dean will provide a decision in writing to the appellant.
9.8 Appeal to the Provost
Upon receipt of the Graduate Dean’s decision, the appellant will have ten (10) calendar days to submit a written appeal of the decision to the Provost. The Graduate Dean will provide to the Provost copies of the original appeal, the Graduate College’s report, and the Graduate Dean’s decision. The Provost or Provost’s designees may interview the appellant and other parties and obtain additional documentation, as needed.
10. Forms
Available through the Graduate College website at
https://www.boisestate.edu/graduatecollege/faculty-staff-resources/