Graduate Faculty Membership
The Graduate Faculty are engaged in (1) extending the limits of current knowledge, (2) interpreting and reinterpreting the past and present experience of humankind, and (3) creating in these and other ways an intellectual climate in which both graduate and undergraduate scholarship may flourish.
The Graduate Faculty have jurisdiction over most functions related to graduate study at the University of Maine including: admissions to the Graduate School, designation of courses carrying graduate credit, the establishment of requirements for advanced degrees and approval of new graduate degree programs, and recommendation to the President for presentation to the Board of Trustees of all students who have completed advanced degree requirements.
Seven categories of membership exist: Full Graduate Faculty, Associate Graduate Faculty, UMS Graduate Faculty, External Graduate Faculty, Emeritus Graduate Faculty, Graduate Instructors, and Ex Officio Members. Faculty may be appointed to any of the categories except Ex Officio which is reserved for persons holding administrative positions. Each category has specific requirements for academic preparation and achievements in terms of scholarship, graduate teaching, and public service. The category of membership dictates the ability to chair a graduate committee, co-chair a graduate committee, serve on a graduate committee, and/or teach a graduate course.
Appointment and reappointment to the Graduate Faculty is made upon the recommendation of the appropriate institutional unit graduate committee, unit head, and the Graduate School. New tenure-track faculty may be granted an initial appointment to the Graduate Faculty at the time of hire that shall extend until the completion of review for tenure, or separation from the University. Reappointment to the Graduate Faculty may be made in reference to criteria established by each institutional unit, and approved by the relevant Dean, in addition to the Executive Committee of the Graduate Board. The criteria provide specific expectations related to scholarship, graduate teaching, and service for each category of membership. Reappointments are for a five-year term, and are renewable.
To be appointed or reappointed as a member of the Graduate Faculty, please use the Record of Qualification form.
For additional information please see Article III of the Constitution of the Graduate School.