EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EXCO)

OVERVIEW

Executive Committee of Graduate Studies

(excerpted from the Constitution of the Graduate School)

The Executive Committee of Graduate Studies (“Executive Committee”) is the principal policy-making body for graduate programs.

Responsibilities

  1. Oversees the academic quality of graduate programs. In particular, the Executive Committee:

a. Establishes guidelines for the external and internal reviews of existing graduate programs. The Dean shall be responsible for implementing these reviews at regular intervals (§ I.B.5). The outcomes of these reviews may be used for the potential termination of poorly performing programs but only with approval of the Executive Committee. If the review of a department or program reveals serious problems, the Executive Committee shall conduct its own review, following its established guidelines. The Dean, the Provost, the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, or the Executive Committee may determine that a particular program should be reviewed at some time other than on the occasion of a scheduled periodic review. Thus, the Executive Committee shall examine the program. If necessary, the Executive Committee can call for an ad-hoc external review (i.e., one before to the next regularly scheduled review).

b. Reviews proposals for new programs or significant alterations of existing programs, and either accepts or rejects the proposals. The Executive Committee shall establish guidelines for the review of proposals.

  1. Approves any major modifications to the Graduate Bulletin, which sets the rules and regulations governing graduate programs. The Dean may make minor modifications, such as clarifications of the text, without the approval of the Executive Committee.

  2. Meets with the University Librarian and the Medical Center Librarian, to discuss programs, initiatives, or concerns relevant to graduate programs or to research at the university.

Membership

The membership of the Executive Committee of the Graduate School shall be comprised of of the following:

  1. Ex Officio, with full privileges: the Dean (Chair), Provost, and Executive Vice President for Health Sciences;

  2. Ex Officio, without privileges: the Deans of the College, the Walsh School of Foreign Service, the McCourt School of Public Policy, the McDonough School of Business, and the School of Nursing and Health Studies;

  3. Ex Officio, without privileges: the Vice Dean and the Associate Deans of the Graduate School;

  4. Ex Officio, with full privileges: the Dean of the School for Continuing Studies;

  5. Twenty tenured faculty members with a term of office of two years, renewable for one term. These twenty individuals shall be appointed by their relevant governing bodies and be distributed as follows:

a. Seven representatives, one each from the Graduate School, the College, the Walsh School of Foreign Service, the McCourt School of Public Policy, the McDonough School of Business, the School of Nursing and Health Studies, and the Biomedical Graduate Education Office of the Medical Center;

b. Five representatives from Ph.D. programs, one each in the Graduate School, the Medical Center, the Natural Sciences, the Social Sciences, and the Humanities, with the latter three being from the Main Campus;

c. Six representatives that shall be allocated in proportion to the number of graduate students enrolled in each of the seven schools in the Graduate School Constitution, Section II.B.5.a (with roundings minimizing the total magnitude of error). Every two years, prior to the appointment of the committee for the following two years term, the allocation of membership will be revised to reflect the then-extant distribution of graduate enrollments; d. Two representatives, one each from the Faculty Senate and the Main Campus Executive Faculty. The representative from the Faculty Senate shall be from the Medical Center.

  1. Two representatives of the Graduate Student Organization, one each from a Ph.D. and a Master’s program, to have full privileges and a term of office of one year, renewable for one term.

  2. In the event that a member of the Executive Committee cannot attend a meeting, the member may designate a replacement who shall have the same privileges as the original member. The replacement must represent the relevant cohort as defined in the Graduate School Constitution, Section II.B.1-6.

  3. Replacements for members unable to serve their full terms shall be appointed by the relevant governing bodies. The terms of appointment for the replacement members shall be those of the members whom they are replacing.

Meetings

  1. The Dean shall call at least one meeting of the Executive Committee each month of the academic year.

  2. The Dean shall normally set the meeting agenda. Any member of the Executive Committee may place an item on the agenda to be considered no later than the meeting following placement of the agenda item.

  3. Special meetings may be called at the request of one of the following: the President, the Provost, the Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, the Dean, or any three members of the Executive Committee.

  4. Ten members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.

  5. A simple majority of all voting members present shall be required to adopt all motions except amendments to this Constitution.

  6. All meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

  7. Minutes shall be approved at the next meeting of the Executive Committee. They should be available to the faculty of the Main Campus, the Basic Sciences at the Medical Center, the School of Nursing and Health Studies, and the deans responsible for graduate programs.

Subcommittees

The Dean may create ad-hoc subcommittees of the Executive Committee to develop and formulate recommendations on issues of concern to the graduate programs.


Meeting History / Summaries

A history of topics covered each academic year is available to the university community here. This site includes information regarding:

  • Programs approved

  • Policies and procedures approved

  • Program reviews

  • Department reviews

  • Other major themes and discussions for the year

A copy of meeting minutes of the Executive Committee of Graduate Studies are available to university faculty and appointed staff upon request. Please send an email to graddean@georgetown.edu for assistance.