Committees Facilitated by the Graduate School

1 Admissions Committee

The Admissions Committee is a standing committee of the University with delegated authority from the Faculty Assembly to select students for admission to the PhD program, and is advisory to the Dean of the Graduate School. The main purpose of the Admissions Committee is to deliberate and advise on matters related to graduate student recruitment and admissions, to ensure the recruitment and selection of excellent students. It has a particular role in the selection of individual candidates for admission to the graduate program. The Admissions Committee reports to the Assembly through the Dean of the Graduate School.

1.1 Membership of the Admissions Committee

The Committee includes faculty members representing the major fields of research and education at OIST who are charged with providing advice on matters requiring academic input. The Dean of the Graduate School appoints Committee members. The Provost, the Dean of Research, Vice Dean of the Graduate School, Manager of the Academic Affairs Section, Manager of the Student Affairs Section, Manager of the Registrar Section, Manager of the Admissions and Outreach Section, and Manager of the Curriculum and Programs Section are ex-officio members of the Committee. The Admissions and Outreach Section provides administrative support for the Committee.

1.1.1 Number of members of the Admissions Committee

The Admissions Committee shall be comprised of twelve (12) members of the Faculty Assembly, including the Dean of Graduate School who shall act as Chairperson of the Committee.

1.1.2 Tenure of membership of the Admissions Committee

Tenure of membership on the Committee shall be three (3) academic years, with four (4) members appointed each year on a rotational basis to ensure experience/expertise is retained within the committee.

1.2 Chairperson for the Admissions Committee

The Dean of the Graduate School shall preside at meetings of the Committee.

1.3 Frequency of Convocation

The Chairperson will call meetings of the Committee at least two times per year.

1.4 Items to be Discussed at Meetings of the Admissions Committee

The Committee may consider specific matters as follows:

i) Graduate student admissions

ii) Graduate student recruiting

iii) Other matters

The Committee may also deliberate on policy matters in relation to admissions.

1.5 Meetings of the Admissions Committee

i) If there is not a majority of the members with voting rights in attendance, the Committee shall not transact its business.

ii) Resolutions of the Committee shall be passed by a majority. The Chairperson shall make a decision in case of a tie in votes.

iii) As deemed necessary by the Chairperson, members may participate in the Committee meeting by teleconference and exercise voting rights. Absent members may not exercise voting rights.

iv) As deemed necessary by the Chairperson, faculty members other than members of the Committee may be invited to attend the meeting and participate in proceedings or serve as advisors on panels. This may occur, for example, to ensure that certain fields of expertise are represented, or to achieve diversity.

v) The agenda and decisions of the Committee shall be made available to the Faculty Assembly.

vi) The Committee shall include a member who is charged with ensuring that issues of diversity and equal opportunity are properly addressed. This shall be a trained member of staff from the diversity office or a member of the committee who has received appropriate training.

vii) Members of the Committee or panels must declare conflicts of interest, or the appearance of a conflict of interest, when these exist. Conflicts of interest occur when a candidate has any of the following relationships to the Committee member or advisor:

a. Former or present student;

b. Student for whom the member has written a supporting letter;

c. Former or current business partner or employer;

d. Close friend or partner;

e. Family member (spouse, child, sibling, sibling of spouse or child of sibling).

The existence of a conflict of interest is not a barrier to the selection of the candidate. However, special procedures must be followed to ensure the integrity of the process and the fair treatment of the candidate.

1.6 Procedures for Dealing with a Conflict of Interest

Prior to a Committee meeting in which the member of the Committee or advisor has a conflict of interest, the committee member having a conflict of interest shall disclose all facts that are relevant to the conflict of interest. Such disclosure shall be reflected in the minutes of the meeting. If a committee member is aware that members or advisors have a conflict of interest, they shall disclose the relevant facts. If an undeclared conflict of interest is discovered and the procedures have not been followed, the matter shall be referred to the President, who will determine the course of action to be taken in response.

Regarding conflict of interest in relation to applicants who are family members, there is no barrier to the candidacy or selection of a candidate who is a family member provided that proper procedures are followed. In the case of a family member, the conflict of interest shall be declared in writing to the Chairperson of the Admissions Committee. The committee member or advisor concerned shall thereafter take no part in the evaluations of any candidates of the decisions of the Committee, and shall not have access to the proceedings and records of the Committee, with respect to any other candidate, until a decision about the candidate who is a family member has been made.

The written declaration shall include the date of the declaration, the name of the Committee Member, the name of the candidate, and the nature of the relationship of the committee member to the candidate. The declaration shall include the following statement:

“I hereby recuse myself from any evaluation or decisions concerning the above candidate, and any other candidate in the same round of applications, immediately and until a decision about the above candidate is made.”

In the case of other conflicts of interest, the conflict shall be declared to the Chairperson, who shall ensure that the Committee Member concerned takes no part in the decision of the committee with respect to the candidate, by requiring the member to leave the room when the candidate is discussed, or stronger measures as considered necessary by the Chairperson.

2 Curriculum and Examinations Committee

The Curriculum and Examinations Committee is a standing committee of the University with delegated authority from the Faculty Assembly to deal with matters related to the curriculum and individual student progress in the PhD program, and is advisory to the Dean of the Graduate School. The Curriculum and Examinations Committee reports to the Assembly through the Dean of the Graduate School.

2.1 Membership of the Curriculum and Examinations Committee

The Committee includes faculty members representing the major fields of research and education at OIST who are charged with providing advice on matters requiring academic input. The Dean of the Graduate School appoints Committee members. The Vice Dean of the Graduate School, Manager of the Academic Affairs Section, Manager of the Student Affairs Section, Manager of the Registrar Section, Manager of the Admissions and Outreach Section, and Manager of the Curriculum and Programs Section are ex-officio members of the Committee. The Academic Affairs Section provides administrative support for the Committee.

2.1.1 Number of Members of the Curriculum and Examinations Committee

The Curriculum and Examinations Committee shall be comprised of twelve (12) members of the Faculty Assembly, including the Dean of Graduate School who shall act as Chairperson of the Committee.

2.1.2 Tenure of Membership of the Curriculum and Examinations Committee

2.2 Chairperson for the Curriculum and Examinations Committee

The Dean of the Graduate School shall preside at meetings of the Committee.

2.3 Frequency of Convocation

The Chairperson will call meetings of the Committee on the first Monday of every month.

2.4 Attendance at Meetings

Since a majority of the members with voting rights is required for a quorum, voting members of the Committee who miss three (3) consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, or who miss five or more of the regularly scheduled meetings in a calendar year, will automatically be discharged from the Committee, with the following exceptions: members who attend electronically, members who submit written comments on agenda items, members who are scheduled to teach at the time of the meeting.

2.5 Items to be Discussed at Meetings of the Curriculum and Examinations Committee

The Committee deliberates on matters related to the curriculum and individual student progress in the PhD program

The Committee may consider specific matters as follows:

i) Individual student program (by review of program proposals)

ii) Individual student progress (by review of annual research progress reports or mentor reports)

iii) Approval of thesis proposals and progression to thesis research

iv) Appointment of thesis supervisors and thesis committees

v) Appointment of examiners

vi) Award of degrees

vii) Changes to the curriculum (by review of course proposals)

viii) Other matters related to curriculum and student progress

2.6 Meetings of the Curriculum and Examinations Committee

i) If there is not a majority of the members with voting rights in attendance, the Committee shall not transact its business.

ii) Resolutions of the Committee shall be passed by a majority. The Chairperson shall make a decision in case of a tie in votes.

iii) As deemed necessary by the Chairperson, members may participate in the Committee meeting by teleconference and exercise voting rights. Absent members may not exercise voting rights.

v) The agenda and decisions of the Committee shall be made available to the Faculty Assembly.

vii) Members of the Committee or panels must declare conflicts of interest, or the appearance of a conflict of interest, when these exist.

2.7 Procedures for Dealing with a Conflict of Interest

In the case of conflicts of interest, the conflict shall be declared to the Chairperson, who shall ensure that the committee member concerned takes no part in the decision of the committee with respect to the matter, by requiring the matter to leave the room when the matter is discussed, or stronger measures as considered necessary by the Chairperson.

3 Faculty-GS Liaison Committee

The Faculty-GS Liaison Committee is a standing committee of the University with no decision-making authority from the Faculty Assembly. It provides two-way information sharing and act as a sounding board for improving some of GS processes.

3.1 Membership of the Faculty-GS Liaison Committee

The Committee consists of two members from the Faculty Council and two other faculty members. The Dean of the Graduate School appoints Committee members. The Vice Dean of the Graduate School, Manager of the Academic Affairs Section, Manager of the Student Affairs Section, Manager of the Registrar Section, Manager of the Admissions and Outreach Section, and Manager of the Curriculum and Programs Section are ex-officio members of the Committee.

3.2 Tenure of Membership of the Faculty-GS Liaison Committee

Tenure of membership on the Committee shall be three (3) academic years, with one (1) members appointed each year on a rotational basis to ensure experience/expertise is retained within the committee.

3.3 Chairperson for the Faculty-GS Liaison Committee

The Dean of the Graduate School shall preside at meetings of the Committee.

Supplementary Provisions

This Graduate School Organization shall come into force from September 1, 2020.

Supplementary Provisions

This Graduate School Organization shall come into force from October 1, 2023.