Contingency procedure for authorizing the unilateral removal of a member/advisor from a graduate advisory committee

This contingency procedure is meant to address circumstances when a student seeks to change the makeup of their graduate advisory committee, but a member or advisor is either unable or unwilling to provide the  required authorization. One example is when a student unilaterally seeks disassociation from their thesis or dissertation advisor.
Proposed solution: We propose a contingency procedure through which unilateral removal of an advisor or member of a graduate advisory committee can be authorized after due diligence is carried out to ensure that the circumstances warrant the removal

Academic unit responsibilities to carry out the contingency procedure

Department level - Each department with a graduate program is responsible for designating a committee of at least three department faculty members for adjudicating unilateral removal requests that are not resolved at the graduate advisory committee level. These individuals should be designated at the start of each academic  year, prior to initiation of any contingency removal procedures. Any member of the committee who has a conflict of interest with a particular contingency removal case should recuse themselves from that case and a  replacement should be designated by the department.

College level - Each college is responsible for designating a committee of at least two college faculty members for adjudicating unilateral removal requests that are not resolved at the department level. These individuals should be designated at the start of each academic year, prior to initiation of any contingency removal procedures. Any member of this committee who has a conflict of interest with a particular contingency removal case should recuse themselves from that case and a replacement should be designated by the college. At the time of initiation of a case, a third member will be added from the degree-granting department.

Process Requirements

The following requirements need to be met before the contingency procedure can be initiated:

1) The student is required to provide evidence of seeking authorization from the committee member or advisor to be removed. At least two independent attempts should be documented, with at least three business days allowed for a response after each attempt. It is recommended that two different methods be used, for example phone and email. Additional time (up to five business days) should be  allowed for known circumstances that could delay the response. For example, if the individual is known by the university to be traveling, at a conference, out of touch for university business, or unable to respond due to illness; but is expected to return in a reasonable time.

2) Allegations of academic misconduct must be adjudicated prior to starting the contingency removal procedure.

1) The student should make a written (email or paper) request to the department chair for initiating the contingency procedure. The request should contain justification and evidence that supports the unilateral removal request. Evidence of the aforementioned communication attempts should also be included with the request.

2) Within three business days of receiving the request, the department chair should attempt to  contact the individual to be removed, allowing three business days for a response.

3) In the absence of an affirmative response, the department chair should ensure that any academic misconduct cases involving the student have been adjudicated.

4) If no response is received, the department chair may approve the removal by contacting the Graduate Education office to request that Form 5A be forwarded without acknowledgment from the member being removed.

1) In the event of a negative response or if the department chair does not wish to approve the removal, the chair should convene the student’s thesis/dissertation committee to vote on the removal within three business days of receiving the response.

2) The graduate advisory committee should inform the department chair of the outcome of the vote within three business days, through a written report that includes a summary of their deliberations.

3) Within three business days of receiving this report, the department chair should share the report with the student and the committee member or advisor.

4) The individual to be removed may appeal the decision in Step 1 by submitting a written request to the department chair within three days of being notified of the decision to remove them from the committee.

5) If no appeal is made, the department chair should then inform the Graduate Education office of the outcome of Step 2, and initiate Step 3 if needed.

1) This committee should be convened by the department chair for a vote on the removal within three business days of the conclusion of Step 2 or three business days of receiving the appeal.

a. All supporting documentation from Step 2, including the final report, should be forwarded to the departmental committee by the department chair. The departmental committee has discretion to request any information or supporting documentation from the student and/or the committee member or advisor being removed.

2) The departmental committee should inform the department chair of the outcome of the vote within three days, through a written report that includes a summary of their deliberations and outcome of the vote.

3) Within three business days of receiving this report, the department chair should share the report with the student and the committee member or advisor, inform the Graduate Education office of the outcome of Step 3, and initiate Step 4 if needed.

4) In the absence of a majority vote, Step4 is initiated

1) The department chair should contact the Dean to initiate Step 4 within three business days of the conclusion of Step 3. All supporting documentation from the previous steps, including the final reports, should accompany the request. The Dean has discretion to request any information or supporting 
documentation from the student and/or the committee member or advisor being removed.

2) The case should be adjudicated at the college level within five business days of receiving a request from the department chair. The Dean has the discretion of personally adjudicating each case or referring it to the college-level committee.

3) If the case is referred to committee, in addition to at least two pre-designated members, the Dean should appoint an additional committee member from the degree-granting department. A majority vote decides the outcome.

4) The Dean is responsible for informing the student, the committee member or advisor, the department chair, and the Graduate Education office of the decision within three business days of the conclusion of Step 4. This decision will be final and binding for all parties involved