Graduate Council

The Graduate Council welcomes nine new voting members this fall. Faculty members who will join the 16 continuing voting members of the council are: Osman A. Basaran (Chemical Engineering), Mark A. Lawley (Industrial Engineering), G. Marc Loudon (Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology), Glenn R. Parker (Political Science), Victor Raskin (English), Olin E. Rhodes, Jr. (Forestry and Natural Resources), Edie K. Schmidt (Industrial Technology), Riyi Shi (Basic Medical Sciences), and Joseph L. Wetchler (Behavioral Sciences, Calumet).

The council also welcomes James L. Mullins, dean of libraries, who will serve as a new ex officio voting member and will chair the Theses and Publication Committee.

Nine additional faculty members were appointed to serve on area committees of the council to provide appropriate balance by discipline and/or subject matter expertise for reviewing new graduate courses and program proposals. Serving in this role are: Jay T. Akridge (Agricultural Economics), Barbara A. Almanza (Hospitality and Tourism Management), Arun K. Bhunia (Food Science), James C. Fleet (Foods and Nutrition), David E. Gerrard (Animal Sciences), JoAnn L. Miller (Sociology and Anthropology), Kenneth D. Ridgway (Earth and Atmospheric Sciences), Elizabeth A. Strickland (Audiology and Speech Sciences), and Jeffrey J. Volenec (Agronomy).
The Graduate Council is responsible for all academic policies related to postbaccalaureate study and degree programs. Faculty members who serve on the council lend their expertise, experience, and guidance to the Graduate School in administering graduate study at Purdue University.

During the 2003-04 academic year, the council approved a Master of Fine Arts, to be offered by the Division of Art and Design in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. Four interdisciplinary programs were approved, which will allow students to be admitted directly into their programs: (1) Ecological Sciences and Engineering; (2) Information Security; (3) Life Sciences, PULSe; and (4) Veterinary Medicine (SVM). The council also approved two graduate certificate programs: (1) Noise Control Engineering (Mechanical Engineering and Continuing Engineering Education) and (2) Information Assurance Education (School of Technology). A name change was approved for the Ph.D. degree offered by the School of Technology, which changed the Ph.D. degree in Industrial Arts Vocational and Technical Education to the Ph.D. degree in Technology.

A complete listing of current council members and the committees on which they serve, dates of Graduate Council meetings, deadlines for submitting documents for consideration, and minutes of the meetings may be found at http://www.gradschool.purdue.edu/faculty/council.cfm.