Our offices are located in Room E5132 of the Wolfe Street Building. Staff members serve the needs of our faculty and students. Department administration is the task of the chair, Dr. Diane E. Griffin, who has the overall responsibility for our educational and research programs. The Department's major policies are adopted at monthly meetings of the full-time faculty. A student representative of the Departmental attends the meetings. A number of committees comprising intramural and extramural faculty and, in most instances, a student representative, who is selected by vote or volunteers at a meeting of the Department's Student Association, carry on much of the business of the Department. The chair appoints the committees annually, and membership rotates among the faculty. Each committee is responsible for some aspect of the Department's activities:
Appointments and Promotions Committee Committee on Admissions and Financial Support Facilities Committee Graduate Program Committee This committee, composed of full-time associate professors and professors, advises the department chair on • faculty promotion and tenure decisions
• new appointments to the faculty
This committee is charged with the responsibility of selecting the best qualified students for admittance to the Department. It works closely with the Graduate Program Committee to assess the financial needs of new and continuing students and to assign available financial support based on merit and need. Dr. George Dimopoulos chairs this committee. The Committee on Admissions and Financial Support - develops general requirements for admission to the Department and, in consultation with the chair, decides the number of students to be admitted
- evaluates student applications for admission to the Department as degree candidates or for regular and special student status
- reviews requests from students for transfer to another degree program or to or from another department
- develops, with the concurrence of the Graduate Program Committee, a program of courses for regular special students who plan to re-apply for acceptance into a degree program in the Department
- recommends eligible new and/or continuing predoctoral students for tuition and stipend scholarships
The Facilities Committee, chaired by Dr. Alan Scott, supervises the operation and maintenance of commonly shared resources. The Facilities Committee monitors and administers common-use equipment and facilities This involves establishing a budget for the administration of common-use facilities and equipment, for the purchase of common-use equipment, overseeing usage and maintenance of common-use equipment/instrumentation, and training students, fellows and faculty in the proper use of equipment/instruments. - monitors and administers common-use equipment and facilities (this involves establishing a budget for the administration of common-use facilities and equipment and for the purchase of common-use equipment)
- monitors and maintains common-use space, which includes the cold rooms, warm rooms, and areas where common-use equipment items are located
- serves in an advisory capacity to the department chair on space needs. The committee members may also serve as site visitors to analyze space requirements for efficiency and to make recommendations for optimum space utilization to the chair
- identifies needs for new common-use equipment, and coordinates its evaluation, purchase, placement and implementation
The Graduate Program Committee bears the overall responsibility for setting policy with respect to our graduate students. The committee, with Dr. Gary Ketner currently serving as chair, monitors the program of each graduate student, reviews the progress of each student on a semi-annual basis, and assures the maintenance of appropriate academic standards. The Graduate Program Committee meets on a regular basis and reports monthly at the departmental faculty meeting, so that the entire faculty is kept informed of all policies and any specific problems that have occurred. The Graduate Program Committee - reviews and evaluates the graduate program
- monitors and evaluates the satisfactory academic progress of each student
- develops general policies for the graduate program; for example, the committee recommends requirements for intramural, extramural, and part-time students
- develops requirements for students advisement, coursework, and the comprehensive written examination
- handles requests from students for exemptions from departmental requirements
- deals with policies regarding other aspects of student life in the Department
The Graduate Program Committee also has overall responsibility for the Department's curriculum. In this capacity, the committee • reviews content and organization of curriculum within the department
• approves new courses and changes to existing courses
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