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By-Laws
College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)
Board of Graduate Education (BGE)
Article I: Purpose
The BGE is generally concerned with the development, improvement and quality control of
graduate education initiated in the departments and programs of CAS. More specifically, the
committee:
 reviews and approves proposals for curricular changes, new courses and new programs;
 reviews and establishes administrative procedures and CAS-wide academic standards for
admissions and for degree, thesis and dissertation requirements of the graduate programs;
 advises the CAS Deans on any issues they may bring to the BGE.
Note: Appointment and reappointment to the Graduate Faculty are handled separately by the
Membership Committee of the Graduate Faculty (cf. “Policies and Procedures: Appointment to
the Graduate Faculty, College of Arts & Sciences”).
Article II: Membership
The BGE shall consist of six members of the Graduate Faculty with MA/MS or PhD Mentor
status, who are elected during the regular elections held by the Faculty Council each spring.
These six members will be distributed as follows: two each from the Humanities, Natural
Sciences and Social Sciences. The term is for two years with at least one member from each of
the three areas elected each year. A member may serve two terms; re-election to the BGE for
further terms is possible after sitting out for at least one year. The committee has a chair who
shall be selected by the committee each spring from among the committee members who are
rotating off the committee (including the current Chair). The Dean and Associate Dean for
Graduate Education are ex-officio members with no voting privileges. In addition, the Graduate
Student Association may designate one graduate student to serve in a non-voting capacity on the
BGE for a maximum of two years. Other faculty members and/or administrators may be invited
to participate in a meeting (without voting privileges) if their programs, activities or
responsibilities are an agenda item.The BGE has a recording secretary.
Article III: Meetings
The BGE generally meets four times each semester. Special meetings may be called by the Chair,
Dean, the Associate Dean for Graduate Education or by written petition of at least four of the
regular voting members of the BGE. Meetings may be canceled if there are not sufficient items
for an agenda. New course and program proposals and any other agenda items are solicited by the
Chair in a timely fashion in advance of BGE meetings. The Chair sets the agenda for each
meeting and distributes it three to four days in advance of the meeting. The Recording Secretary
keeps the minutes, which shall be distributed to the BGE members, the CAS Dean and the
Associate Vice President for Graduate Education, or to such others as the CAS Dean determines.
A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of regular voting members. The BGE meetings shall
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be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
Article IV: Approvals
A simple majority vote of a quorum of the members present (including the Chair) is needed for
approvals. New courses approved by BGE will be submitted to the CAS Dean for incorporation
into the course catalog. Programmatic changes approved by the BGE are submitted to the CAS
Dean for further approval. Such changes with the exception of new courses are then reported to
the Faculty Council and submitted to the Associate Vice President for Graduate Education for
further approval by the Graduate Academic Affairs Committee and, in the case of a new program,
to the VP Frost Campus and the Board of Trustees.
Article V: Amendments
Proposed amendments to these By-Laws shall be submitted to the Chair in a timely
fashion in advance of the next regularly scheduled meeting so that it may be considered
as an agenda item at that meeting. Such amendments require the further approval of the
Faculty Council and the Dean.