Charter

The Graduate Faculty Committee (GFC) is UWM’s main policy making body for graduate education. As such it oversees academic and administrative matters across graduate programs and acts as an advocate for graduate students and graduate programs within the University. The GFC meets at least once a month during the academic year, and on request of the Dean of the Graduate School or of five Graduate Faculty Committee members.

1. Membership. The committee is composed of the following members:
   1. Twelve Faculty elected from among the Graduate Faculty from the Divisions of Arts and Humanities, Natural Sciences, Professions, and Social Sciences. At least two Faculty members shall serve from each of these four Divisions, and not more than one shall serve from any one department or non-departmentalized school or college. No member may serve more than two consecutive terms or portions thereof. Elected members of the committee should reflect the range of disciplinary competencies in the University and represent the colleges insofar as the size of the committee allows.
   2. Three Faculty Chairs of the Graduate Curriculum Committee, the Graduate Program Review Committee, and the Graduate Student Fellowships Committee;
   3. Two graduate student members appointed annually by the Student Association. Student members must be currently enrolled graduate students and both members must not come from the same college.
   4. Two members of the Academic Staff appointed annually by the Academic Staff Committee from among those whose work is pertinent to graduate education or research or to administration of graduate programs.
   5. Two ex-officio and non-voting members, as follows:
      1. The Dean of the Graduate School;
      2. One Associate Dean of the Graduate School;
      3. A staff person from the Graduate School.
         
         The Committee has the authority to declare vacant the seat of those committee members who fail to attend three (3) regular meetings in an academic year
2. Chair.
   The Committee elects its Chair for the following year from among its Faculty membership at its March meeting. By May of that year, the Chair-elect designates a vice-Chair elect. The Chair-elect and the vice-Chair-elect assume their full, one-year duties on August 1.
   
   The Chair or the Chair’s representative sits on the APBC, RPAC, and PEC committees, in order to have the information necessary for Chairing the Committee and to inform those committees of Graduate Faculty Committee actions. The Chair communicates as needed with the Faculty Senate, the University Committee, the Secretary of the University, graduate program representatives, and the various Deans and Associate Deans.
3. Functions.
   1. Advises the Dean of the Graduate School on all academic and administrative issues that pertain to graduate education.
   2. Considers general policy recommendations from Graduate Curriculum Committee, Graduate Program Review Committee, and Graduate Student Fellowships Committee pertaining to their areas of governance. The Graduate Faculty Committee reviews and approves all general policies that apply across graduate programs.
   3. Establishes criteria for membership in the Graduate Faculty of the University.
   4. Reviews Graduate School regulations and requirements with general application to student admission, continuation, and graduation, and the academic operation of UWM graduate programs. Based on this review, the committee recommends appropriate changes for dissemination through sources such as the Graduate School website, the Graduate School Bulletin and the Graduate Student and Faculty Handbook.
   5. Reviews policies and procedures affecting graduate student assistantships, fellowships, awards and any other sources of funding, and advocates for fair and competitive levels of graduate student compensation and workload.
   6. Reviews policies and procedures at all levels of the University that impact graduate student success, such as those related to health and wellbeing, funding for graduate study, diversity, professional development, retention and completion, and campus safety. The Committee will make recommendations to governance committees, administrative offices, or academic units as appropriate.
   7. Undertakes investigations into larger and more complex issues pertaining to graduate study recommended by its own members, by Graduate Curriculum Committee, Graduate Program Review Committee, or Graduate Student Fellowships Committee, or by Graduate School Administration.
   8. Designates two members who will serve, if needed, on a Graduate Assistant Appeals Panel for Step Three grievance proceedings, as described in the Graduate Assistant Employment Grievance Procedure.