Graduate Faculty Policy

Purpose

This policy outlines information related to earning and sustaining graduate faculty status at McNeese State University. To ensure the quality and rigor of the University’s graduate programs, faculty must have graduate faculty status to teach any graduate course as the instructor of record, serve as a graduate advisor and major professor, and hold membership on any committees for which graduate faculty status is required. Oversight of all processes related to the “graduate faculty” distinction is governed by the Doré School of Graduate Studies (hereafter referred to as “School”), and the awarding of graduate faculty status is based upon a vote by the Graduate Council. The Graduate Council will follow the guidelines presented herein when reviewing and voting upon graduate faculty membership applications.

Membership Categories

Graduate faculty members are distinguished by their employment status at the University and their performance. Only full-time, tenured, or tenure-track faculty are eligible for the distinctions of Full Member or Associate Member. Other faculty are eligible for the distinction of Temporary Member.

Full Member

A faculty member at the rank of assistant professor, associate professor, or professor who holds a terminal degree appropriate for their discipline, per accreditation standards, who (1) is concluding a term as an Associate Member and (2) was engaged in graduate studies (e.g., teaching graduate courses, mentoring graduate students, serving on committees, etc.) as an Associate Member is eligible for appointment as a Full Member. Faculty with this distinction are eligible to teach graduate courses, serve as graduate advisors and major professors, and hold membership on any committees for which graduate faculty status is required.

A Full Member is appointed for a term of five academic years. At the conclusion of their term, a Full Member must apply for renewal of their Full Member status.

Associate Member

A faculty member at the rank of assistant professor, associate professor, or professor who holds a terminal degree appropriate for their discipline, per accreditation standards, is eligible for appointment as an Associate Member. Faculty with this distinction are eligible to teach graduate courses, serve as graduate advisors and major professors, and hold membership on any committees for which graduate faculty status is required.

An Associate Member is appointed for a term of three academic years. At the conclusion of their term, an Associate Member must apply for Full Member status if they meet the performance criteria presented in this policy. If they do not meet Full Member criteria, they may apply for renewal of their Associate Member status for another three-year term.

Note: Newly hired or appointed faculty at the rank of assistant professor or above may receive Associate Member status in their first semester without meeting the performance expectations. However, they must meet the performance expectations for renewal or elevation of their memberships at the end of their initial three-year term. To receive initial Associate Member status, the department head must submit an appropriate memo describing credentials to be forwarded to the college dean for approval. This memo must then be approved by the director of the Graduate School and credentials approved by the SACSCOC accreditation liaison.

Temporary Member

A faculty member at the rank of instructor or a visiting faculty member of any rank (e.g., visiting lecturers, clinical faculty, etc.) with appropriate credentials is eligible for appointment as a Temporary Member of the graduate faculty. In most instances, the Temporary Member must hold a terminal degree or other SACSCOC-approved qualifications appropriate to perform graduate faculty responsibilities.

In special circumstances, a faculty member without a terminal degree may be appointed as a Temporary Member to serve as a clinical faculty member or another special role if they hold a professional endorsement specific to the duties they will be assigned. Such an endorsement must be regarded within the discipline as the appropriate credential for the duties in question. If the duties involve responsibility for academic courses, a terminally degreed Associate Member or Full Member must be designated as the instructor of record.

A Temporary Member is eligible to teach graduate courses and serve on graduate examining committees for comprehensive examinations and theses. To serve on an examining committee, written justification must be provided to the director of the Graduate School by the department head and academic dean to document the individual’s expertise in the specific topic/area of study relevant to the comprehensive examination or thesis and present a feasible rationale why the Temporary Member should serve in lieu of an Associate Member or Full Member.

A Temporary Member is appointed for a term of one academic year. Department heads must submit an appropriate memo describing credentials to be forwarded to the college dean for approval. This memo must then be approved by the director of the Graduate School and credentials approved by the SACSCOC accreditation liaison.

Performance Expectations

Graduate faculty membership applications require applicants to present highlights of their work in three performance areas: research or creative scholarship, professional activities, and University service.

Research or Creative Scholarship

Research or creative scholarship is considered the purest example of scholarly activity. It involves a faculty member engaging themselves, as appropriate within the discipline, in investigation of a phenomenon or creation of an authentic work and then presenting the results of that effort in an appropriate forum. Examples of this include but are not limited to:

• Artwork exhibition resulting from juried invitation;
• Externally-funded grant award;
• Musical performance resulting from juried invitation;
• Presentation of research at local, state, national, or international venue;
• Published article, proceedings, or similar, preferably in a refereed source;
• Published book or book chapter; and
• Research in progress.

Professional Activities

Professional activities are regarded as critical responsibilities of faculty to maintain active roles within the trends, issues, and events of their disciplines. Examples of this include but are not limited to:

• Membership in a professional organization;
• Election to office in a professional organization;
• Participation in professional development activities; and
• Engagement in professional, peer review efforts such as journal editing, manuscript reviewing, or accreditation compliance reviewing.

University Service

University service is expected of all faculty as it enhances the quality of services the institution provides its students and facilitates collaboration among all members of the University community. Examples of this include but are not limited to:

• Membership on department, college, or University committees, including examining committees;
• Appointment or election to office on department, college, or University committees, including examining committees;
• Appointment to special positions/roles in addition to faculty duties; ¹
• Curriculum or course development or redesign; and
• Student recruitment.

¹ One semester of an administrative assignment (e.g., dean, department head, director, coordinator, etc.) for which release time is awarded is equal to one University service activity.

Membership Renewal or Elevation

All faculty should engage in their disciplines through scholarship and service. When applying for membership renewal or elevation, an applicant must document (per the application) activities related to graduate study to which they contributed during their current term.

Renewal of Temporary Member Status

Renewal of Temporary Member status is contingent upon the applicant’s satisfactory performance during their current term. A current Temporary Member’s status may be renewed for an additional one-year term upon recommendation by the department head and academic dean.

Elevation to or Renewal of Associate Member Status

Elevation to or renewal of Associate Member status requires that an applicant document at least five activities, including at least one in each of the three performance areas. An Associate Member is appointed for a three-year term.

Elevation to or Renewal of Full Member Status

Elevation to or renewal of Full Member status requires that an applicant document 10 or more activities, including at least one in each of the three performance areas. A Full Member is appointed for a five-year term.

Reappointment with Different Status

Extraordinary circumstances may create a situation where a current Associate Member or Full Member does not meet the performance expectations for renewal or elevation. To provide that faculty member additional time to meet the performance expectations, they may be reappointed as graduate faculty with a distinction different from that for which they applied.

The following table outlines this reappointment decision model.

Current Status	Seeking	Meets Expectations	Outcome
Associate Member	Renewal	Yes	Reappointed as Associate Member
		No	Reappointed as Temporary Member for one year, after which they must reapply and meet expectations for Associate Member status or they will be removed from graduate faculty
	Elevation	Yes	Appointed as Full Member
		No	Reappointed as Associate Member if performance expectations met; otherwise, reappointed as Temporary Member for one year, after which they must reapply and meet expectations for Associate Member status or they will be removed from graduate faculty
Full Member	Renewal	Yes	Reappointed as Full Member
		No	Reappointed as Associate Member if performance expectations met; otherwise, reappointed as Temporary Member for one year, after which they must reapply and meet expectations for at least Associate Member status or they will be removed from graduate faculty

Application for Membership

Faculty members seeking membership must complete the Application for Graduate Faculty Membership (also available at http://www.mcneese.edu/dore/graduate) and submit it to the School no later than the last business day in March. Complete applications will be presented to the Graduate Council for its review and vote no later than the last business day in April. Results of the vote will be communicated to the appropriate department head(s). The checklists for Full Members and Associate Members are provided to assist applicants in preparing the application.

Lapse in Membership

Associate Members and Full Members must seek elevated or renewed status no later than the last business day in March of the spring semester after which their term expires. Temporary Members may seek renewed membership via departmental memo no later than the last business day in April if the need exists within their academic departments.

Faculty whose membership lapses and who have not applied for renewal may not teach any graduate course as the instructor of record, serve as a graduate advisor or major professor, or hold membership on any committees for which graduate faculty status is required. The director of the Graduate School, acting on behalf and with the approval of the Graduate Council, shall work with the appropriate department head, dean, and, if necessary, the provost and vice president for academic affairs and enrollment management to enforce this provision.

In certain circumstances and upon receipt of a memo approved by the department head and dean, the director of the Graduate School may grant one-time Temporary Member status for no more than a one-year term to full-time, tenured, or tenure-track faculty whose membership has lapsed, after which the faculty member must seek renewal as an Associate Member or Full Member.

Any Associate Member or Full Member whose membership lapses for more than one year may seek renewal as an Associate Member if they meet performance expectations. Otherwise, they may seek renewal as a Temporary Member for no more than a one-year term, after which they must seek renewal as an Associate Member.

Denial or Removal of Membership

Graduate faculty status may be denied in any circumstance in which a faculty member does not meet the minimum qualifications for any category of membership.

Any faculty member holding graduate faculty status may have their membership revoked if they are found to be in violation of any policy related to their employment at the University.

Actions to deny graduate faculty membership or to revoke graduate faculty status will be communicated in writing to the faculty member, their department head, and dean by the School’s director.

Appeals to Membership Denial or Removal

Any faculty member whose application for graduate faculty membership was denied or whose graduate faculty status was revoked may submit a written appeal of the action to the provost and vice president for academic affairs and enrollment management.

Communication

This policy is distributed via the Graduate Council and the University Policies webpage.