September 9, 2009 - FHS 105
November 18, 2009 - FHS 105
The Graduate School at Illinois State
309 Hovey Hall
Mail Code 4040
Illinois State University
Normal IL 61790-4040
Staff contacts and areas
Kim Shennett keshenne 438-2587 Graduate School Specialist
Graduate Council/Coordinator Support, Regulations & Procedures, Symposia, DFI Fellowships, Graduate Assistantships, Catalog other than curriculum, Web site manager
Sunny Portree sdportr 438-2597 Thesis and Dissertation Examiner
Curriculum Support, Curricular sections of Graduate Catalog 438-2597
Yvonne Crutcher ymcrutc 438-2585 Admissions & Records Supervisor
Plans of Study, Transfer of Credit, Degree and Certificate Completion, Probation, Termination, Satisfactory Progress
Judy Keenan jlkeena 438-3006 Secretary to Associate Vice President & Director of Graduate Studies
Diversity Tuition Waivers, Probationary Admissions, Scholarships
Reception desk student worker 438-2583
A
Academic Integrity Requirements, reporting Academic Dishonesty http://www.deanofstudents.ilstu.edu/about_us/crr.shtml
Admissions
Sample admission letter (will be available soon)**
Advising new and continuing students
Appeals for denial of admission, also covered in Graduate Catalog
C
Catalog, Graduate http://www.ilstu.edu/home/catalog/graduate/
Certificates, graduate http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/programs/grad_cert.shtml
Certificate completion form (ipdf) http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/grad_cert_app.pdf or (pdf) http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/gradcertapp2.pdf
Certification, teacher (not the same as a graduate certificate) http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/programs/grad_cert.shtml (scroll to bottom of page)
Code of Conduct http://www.deanofstudents.ilstu.edu/about_us/crr.shtml
Commencement http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/completion/
Comprehensive exam regulations (See pgs. in Graduate Catalog) http://www.ilstu.edu/home/catalog/pdf/grad.pdf
Conduct and Civility http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/orientation.shtml#campus
Considering graduate school? Basic information for prospective students http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/consideringgradschool.shtml
Coordinators, current list http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/coordinators.pdf
Coordinator duties
Coordinator meeting dates, agendas, handouts http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/coordinators/
Course and program proposals http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/gcc/
Advice on preparing and submitting proposals
Curriculum Committee and deadlines for proposals http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/gcc/
D
Databook, Graduate (contains both general data and a specific data page for each of your own programs) http://www.pir.ilstu.edu/universityfacts/ scroll down to Graduate Databook header
Data on national graduate enrollment trends and diversity in your field http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/R_ED2007.pdf
Data on online education, Sloan report http://www.sloan-c.org/resources/growing_by_degrees.pdf
Data on outcomes of graduate education, national statistics http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/trends/ed_pays_2007.pdf
Dates and deadlines for degree completion, theses & dissertations through August 09 http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/datesanddeadlines.pdf
through August 10 http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/datesanddeadlines09_10.pdf
Degree Audit form (formerly Plan of Study)
Director of Graduate School
Disability Concerns http://www.disabilityconcerns.ilstu.edu/
Dissertations
Dissertation dates & deadlines
through August 09 http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/datesanddeadlines.pdf
through August 10 http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/datesanddeadlines09_10.pdf
Dissertation guide http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/dissguidecomplete.pdf
Dissertation committee exception form http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/ThesisExceptionForm.pdf
Dissertation proposal form http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/ProposalApproval.pdf
Dual format system for theses and dissertations http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/thesis/index.shtml (scroll down)
Dual format approval form for a thesis or dissertation http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/approvalform.pdf
Extension of time to degree form (ipdf) http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/Extensionoftime.pdf or (pdf) http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/extensionoftime2.pdf
Copyright questions, campus copyright authority http://www.mlb.ilstu.edu/page/157
Disruptive students http://www.deanofstudents.ilstu.edu/about_us/crr.shtml
Dual format system for theses and dissertations http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/thesis/index.shtml (scroll down)
Dual format approval form for a thesis or dissertation http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/approvalform.pdf
Dual format selection form for departments and schools http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/departmentdualapprovalform.pdf
E
End of semester grade check
Instructions http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/semestergradecheckadvisementdirections106.pdf
Probation http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/advisorformsemestergradecheck.pdf
GA with under 3.0 http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/gasemestergradecheckadvisement106.pdf
Termination http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/Terminationform.pdf
Extension of time to degree form (ipdf) http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/Extensionoftime.pdf or (pdf) http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/extensionoftime2.pdf
F
Fellowships http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/financial/
Financial Aid http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/financial/
G
Graduate assistantships http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/financial/
Graduate assistant hiring and termination http://www.hr.ilstu.edu/hiring_manager/recruitment/ga_hiring.shtml
GA Additional Payment Form http://www.hr.ilstu.edu/downloads/PERS916.pdf
GA eligibility and requests for low GPA exceptions or underloads
GA Handbook from Human Resources http://www.hr.ilstu.edu/downloads/GA_Handbook.pdf
GA insurance forms and information http://www.shs.ilstu.edu/insurance/forms/
GA Load Reduction Request Form www.hr.ilstu.edu/hiring_manager/recruitment/ga_hiring.shtml
GA Stipend Loans
GEP Graduate Extra Pay form
Graduate Council http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/council/
Graduate faculty http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/chairs/
Graduate faculty membership list (see back pages of Graduate Catalog-Full and Associate members are on separate lists)
Graduation http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/completion/
I
TOEFL and IELTS scores
International Student Services http://www.internationalstudies.ilstu.edu/
M
Mainframe information access link to Access to graduate student information online and Advising Screens for Coordinators
McNair Book Scholarship Nomination Form http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/mcnairbookscholarship.pdf
Mental health, wellness, counseling
Counseling Center http://www.counseling.ilstu.edu/
Balance Sheet: Staying Healthy, and Even Happy, in Graduate School http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i24/24b01501.htm
Grad School Blues http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i24/24b01201.htm?utm_source=pm&utm_medium=en
O
Orientation, general online for all graduate students http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/orientation.shtml
P
Plan of Study (now Degree Audit Form, old university or department forms not accepted after Sept 1, 2009)****
Probation form http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/advisorformsemestergradecheck.pdf
Programs and degrees, all http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/programs/
Program Review http://www.provost.ilstu.edu/program_review/index.shtml (even if you are not going through program review this year, copies of your latest program review and the university’s response are helpful guides to goals and challenges as you plan for the future; if your department or school does not have copies of those documents, the Office of the Provost can provide them to you)
Program review advice
R
Recruitment information
Recruitment assistance grant application http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/FY10recruitmentassistanceapp.pdf
Regulations and procedures, Graduate http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/regulations.pdf
Research funding for graduate students? when funds are available, applications for the Symposium
Project/Presentation Grants are posted at http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/symposium/
Research Symposia http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/symposium/
Resolving conflict between students and faculty/staff/other students, disruptive behavior in classrooms, labs, or anywhere else on campus
S
Scholarships http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/financial/
Statistical Consulting Center free professional help for students and faculty using stats http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/orientation.shtml#stats
Students at large
General information on SAL status http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/studentatlarge/index.shtml
Late SAL applications see instructions at http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/coordinators/
Symposia, Research http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/symposium/
T
Teaching Assistants, preparation and advice
Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/orientation.shtml#ctlt
Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching & Learning (NSF funded, free online handbooks, especially helpful in sciences, but useful for all) http://cirtl.wceruw.org/
Termination http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/Terminationform.pdf
Appeal of Denial of Admission to a Graduate Program (or termination from one)
Theses, Master’s
Thesis dates & deadlines
through August 09 http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/datesanddeadlines.pdf
through August 10 http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/datesanddeadlines09_10.pdf
Thesis guide http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/thesisguidecomplete.pdf
Dual format system for theses and dissertations http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/thesis/index.shtml (scroll down)
Dual format approval form for a thesis or dissertation http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/approvalform.pdf
Thesis committee exception form http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/ThesisExceptionForm.pdf
Thesis proposal form http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/ProposalApproval.pdf
Extension of time to degree (ipdf) http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/Extensionoftime.pdf or (pdf) http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/extensionoftime2.pdf
Copyright questions, campus copyright authority http://www.mlb.ilstu.edu/page/157
TOEFL and IELTS scores and waiver
Transfer credit form http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/transfercredit052.pdf
Travel funding for graduate students? when funds are available, applications for the Symposium Project/Presentation Grants are posted at http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/symposium/
Tuition waivers http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/financial/applications_for_assistance.shtml
U
Undergraduate wishing to take a graduate course?
For undergraduate credit only? (never converts to graduate credit, even if student is later admitted to graduate program) use the Registration Clearance Form (often called “override form”) For graduate credit? (now and/or for possible future use) Do NOT use Registration Clearance Form. Follow process described under Senior Taking Graduate Course for Graduare Credit in Graduate Catalog
W
Wait list letter (sample) http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/downloads/waitlistletter.pdf
Dr. Kimberly Nance kanance@ilstu.edu
Kimberly Nance (PhD University of Illinois at Urbana, Latin American Literature, secondary area in Educational Policy Studies) came to the Graduate School in 2006. She is a tenured full professor in Languages, Literatures & Cultures, where she served two terms as graduate coordinator and three years as department chair. Her service to the university includes chairing the Academic Standards Committee, the Faculty Ethics and Grievance Committee, and an Educating Illinois Implementation Team, as well as numerous college and departmental committee assignments. She has published 2 books and 25 articles and book chapters on Latin American literature, co-authored a Spanish composition text, presented over 60 conference papers, and served a five year term on the Modern Language Association of America’s Executive Committee on the Teaching of Literature. Her 2006 book, Can Literature Promote Justice? (Vanderbilt University Press), was named a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Book by the American Library Association. Her next book, Teaching Literature in the Languages, is slated for release in October 2009 by Prentice Hall.
The Graduate School is housed in the administrative line of the Associate Vice President for Research, Graduate Studies, and International Education, Dr. Rodney L. Custer, who reports to the Provost.
Graduate coordinators are responsible for maintaining the overall integrity of the graduate program in the department or school, as well as promoting the educational success of individual graduate students.
Coordinators
Assure clear communication between the degree program, the department/ school/college, the Graduate School, Admissions, and the graduate student
Foster recruitment, admission and degree completion for a diverse group of highly talented students
Monitor and report progress (or lack of progress) of students
With graduate faculty/chair/director, assist in developing learning outcomes, placement, and program assessments
Model and encourage excellence in scholarship and teaching
Provide leadership in review of curriculum and design of professional development opportunities for graduate students
Supervise comprehensive exams, assuring consonance with regulations and requirements of the Graduate School and the program and submitting reports within
Monitor theses and dissertations and submit required forms
Monitor degree completion and requests to participate in Commencement
Advise chair/director on allocation of departmental/school Graduate Assistantships and Tuition Waivers
Assist students in securing Research Symposia Travel Support
Assist students in securing Scholarships/Fellowships/GIF Grants
The national Council of Graduate Schools notes that one often-overlooked aspect of graduate advising is the “obligation of candor.” Coordinators have the obligation to provide all students with candid assessment of their work as well as an estimate of their chances of success in the graduate program, even when that news may be unwelcome.
Recruitment Initiative Funding Request
Obviously all programs benefit from the presence of excellent students, but in times of tight budgets recruitment is particularly important. Graduate programs with healthy enrollments are better positioned to make a case for department, college, and university resources, and to maintain the resources they have.
Enrollment numbers and trends are a required element of every program review.
A steady increase in the number of graduate programs across the country and worldwide is making the search for qualified new students increasingly competitive. While many of our programs are already nationally and even internationally competitive, some others have been somewhat sheltered from competition. Those programs have attracted large numbers of “placebound” students, those who hold full time jobs in the area.
Nationally, nearly all growth in graduate enrollment is occurring in online programs. While online graduate degrees have been available for some time, in the past some students reported finding them unattractive for the following reasons.
Positive preference for classroom interaction with faculty and fellow students
Reservations about their own computer skills, lack of familiarity with online instruction
Reservations about the academic quality of the online degree programs
Reservations about how potential employers would regard the online degree
While many students continue to report that positive preference, they also report that rapidly increasing transportation costs are causing them to rethink whether they can afford it. At the same time, the reservations about online degrees are diminishing rapidly.
It is no longer the case that many graduate students are hesitant about using a computer—the number of reluctant users is small and growing smaller every day. While students age 18-24 still report preferring the on-campus experience, reported preference for online courses now starts at age 25 and only increases with age--all the way to 55. Our own university is no stranger to online developments. All students are now required to have computers and internet access, and we offer many online courses. Students are unlikely to be persuaded by arguments that in-class education is superior to on-line when the program making those arguments is in the process of developing its own on-line courses. A new in-state option may hasten acceptance of online graduate programs, even if it is not reaching its projected size (apparently even the U of I is finding it difficult to compete with for-profit schools.) Students who might have doubted the quality of online programs are less hesitant now that the University of Illinois has gotten into the field.
All of this means that many programs for whom recruitment had consisted mainly of reminding local students that they were available will need to start making their own positive case much more strongly.
What can coordinators do to improve recruitment?
1. Review your program’s admission requirements in the Graduate Catalog.
Do they reflect accurately what you require in practice? If you often waive some parts of your requirements, you may be losing qualified applicants because they believe your published requirements and do not apply to your program.
2. Identify your 5-10 closest competitor programs and read their admission requirements.
Are your requirements consonant with others in your discipline?
3. Review your program’s website. Be certain that it is up to date, accurate and appealing to prospective applicants.
Graduate students make their decisions based on what they know about a specific graduate program, not about the university in general. Attractive program webpages are crucial to successful recruitment.
Graduate students report that the website is typically the primary factor in their initial decision to consider a given program (in contrast, graduate students name recruitment fairs as the least influential factor, less influential than “advice from my parents.”)
Sites such as GradSchools.com offer students a long list of programs in each discipline. When applicants are browsing they typically devote only a moment to each site before deciding whether to explore further or move on to another program: first impressions count.
4. Review your program’s data on applications, admissions and enrollments.
Current data on each individual program is available in the Graduate Data Book at the Planning and Institutional Research web site. Also available there are five years of longitudinal data. Pay special attention to your yield and show rates (How many applicants do you attract? What percentage of applicants do you admit? What percentage of the students whom you admit actually enroll in your program?) Programs that find themselves increasing the number of applicants without increasing the number of students whom they would like to admit may need to rethink their recruitment strategies and/or provide potential applicants more information about the demands of their program. Programs that admit many applicants who do not enroll may discover that they should be offering more admissions in order to meet their enrollment targets.
Findings and Recommendations from “Understanding Website Usage in Undergraduate and Graduate School Search,” Thomas Huddleston and Kevin Drexel.
Additional website recommendations
Applicants who are just browsing may not be willing to take the time to link to each faculty member’s separate website. Ask faculty members to prepare bios of a few sentences introducing themselves to prospective students. Place all of the faculty intros, with pictures, areas of research, short bios and links to individual websites, on a single “faculty” page to pique applicants’ interest.
Check all photographs and website language at least once a year to make certain that they are current and highlight your program’s latest accomplishments, equipment, and facilities. Pictures of outdated equipment, references to a faculty member’s new book published in 2000 (or to a faculty member who is no longer at Illinois State) or to your new labs “all with Internet connected microcomputers and Microsoft Office 98” are unlikely to impress prospective applicants.
Click on every link on your site to make certain that it works and leads to the correct page. Links to Admissions and to the HR site for assistantships and student employment applications are especially important.
Graduate coordinators can access the university’s informational screens online or they can request printouts of specific screens from a staff member in their department/school.
Request a mainframe signon at:
http://www.ts.ilstu.edu/cgi-bin/db2www.exe/forms/nvas.mvs/signon
Then request access to specific screens at:
http://www.ts.ilstu.edu/cgi-bin/db2www.exe/forms/nvas.mvs/transactions
The above two links can be found on the www.ts.ilstu.edu webpage.
Once you have access and the program installed on your computer, click “telnet to MVS” to open the password screen, enter your ulid and password (which will not be the same as your general university password) press enter, and enter the letters of the screen you want. The screen will prompt for the student’s uid. Enter it, press enter, and the information will appear. If you do not know the uid, you can look it up by entering the student’s name, last name first, in the GPAD screen.
Applicants are more likely to accept the offer of admission if the program has acknowledged their application and supporting materials promptly and kept them informed about when they are likely to have an admission decision.
Sample e-mail messages that a program might send
“Need more info”
Thank you for your interest in the master’s in Oceanography at Illinois State University. We have received your university application, statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation, but we still need a current resume or CV from you before your file can be considered. Our admissions committee meets on January 15th to begin making its decisions for next fall. To assure full consideration, please make certain that any remaining materials reach us before that date.
“File complete”
Thank you for your application to the master’s in Oceanography at Illinois State University. We have also received your statement of purpose, letters of recommendation and CV, so your file is now complete. Our admissions committee meets for the first time on January 15th to begin making its decisions, and you can expect to hear from us again soon after that date.
“Wait list”
Our admissions committee has completed its initial review of applications for fall. The limited number of spaces in the program makes it impossible for us to admit all qualified students, and we regret that we cannot offer you admission at this time. The committee did recommend that you be invited to join our program should a space come open later. Please let us know whether you would like to be placed on our waiting list.
Do not tell students that your program is “recommending admission”
University policy is that initial statements regarding admission are to go out only from University Admissions, not from departments or schools. This restriction includes any statements that the department or school is “recommending admission” even if they indicate that is is still “pending “confirmation” or “final approval” from the University or Graduate School. Students often interpret those letters as guarantees of admission. Do not send any letter referring to admission until you have either seen the student’s university admission confirmed in a report from University Admissions or confirmed it yourself on the SDAA screen. At that point the University’s admission letter is already in the mail and you may send your own letter welcoming the student to your program.
Please make your decision and return admission decision sheets (when the online system goes up, you will do that by clicking your choices) as soon as possible. We recommend that you do not hold decisions on admission until you have also made a decision on an assistantship offer. If other schools send their admissions decisions sooner your applicants may assume that you are not interested in them and make plans to go elsewhere.
Pay careful attention to requirements and include rationales for any exceptions. The rationale states the alternative evidence of probable success that has led the program to propose an exception to a requirement. For instance for a Test of English as a Foreign Language score waiver “two of our faculty members have interviewed this student and are convinced that her English is sufficient for success in our courses” is a rationale. “TOEFL score is below university requirements” is not.
Applicants with admit GPAs from 2.2 to 2.79 will not be granted regular admission. The box to request “probationary” must be checked, and alternative evidence of probable success (for instance, GRE or other test score, successful work experience in the discipline, a note that the low undergrad GPA was due only to low grades outside the graduate field) must be offered in the “rationale” space.
Applicants with admit GPAs under 2.20 will not be approved for any form of admission, regardless of the rationale. Coordinators desiring to help such students gain admission to the Graduate School should advise them to take at least 3 courses as a Student at Large and then reapply if they earn grades of at least B and strong recommendations from ISU faculty.
If you have included conditions for probationary admission or deficiency courses you must also communicate them in a separate letter to the student after the student has been admitted, with a copy to the Graduate School (campus mail 4040.) If you wish to have deficiencies or conditions considered at the time of Degree Audit, you will need to enter them on the Degree Audit form. Admission sheets are communications between programs, Admissions, and the Graduate School. They are not sent to the student.
Students may take either TOEFL or IELTS to demonstrate proficiency in English. ISU accepts either score and sets the minimum for admission. Just as with GPA, programs may request exceptions for low scores, and/or they may require higher scores for their own program.
TOEFL/IELTS Score Comparison |
|||
TOEFL |
IELTS |
||
Paper Based |
Computer Based |
Internet Based (iBT) |
|
640-677 |
273-300 |
111-120 |
8.5-9 |
590-637 |
243-270 |
96-110 |
7.5-8 |
550-587 |
213-240 |
79-95 |
6.5-7 |
513-547 |
183-210 |
65-78 |
5.5-6 |
477-510 |
153-180 |
53-64 |
4.5-5 |
437-473 |
123-150 |
41-52 |
4 |
397-433 |
93-120 |
30-40 |
3-3.5 |
347-393 |
63-90 |
19-29 |
2-2.5 |
310-343 |
33-60 |
9-18 |
1-1.5 |
310 |
0-30 |
0-8 |
0-1 |
The minimum acceptable scores for admission to ISU are 550 Paper, 213 Computer, 79 iBT, and 6.5 band on IELTS |
|||
Students who receive less than the minimum acceptable score will be denied by the Office of Admissions without sending files to the department |
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Programs may request that a highly qualified student be admitted despite a TOEFL score that falls below the 79/213/550 cutoffs if there is substantial alternative evidence that the student is prepared to succeed in graduate school. The program uses the “rationale for exception” space on the decision sheet to explain the alternative evidence. In the “deficiency” space, the program may add a condition such as “student must enroll in English Language Institute during the fall semester.” Programs must inform students and the Graduate School of any deficiency requirements, and make certain that students know that ELI classes do not count for graduate or undergraduate credit. ELI classes are not covered by the tuition waiver, so students should be informed of the additional cost as well. A review of the progress of all students admitted with low-TOEFL exceptions since 2004 indicates that they are doing well. The average GPA is 3.56, and only one has ever been on academic probation.
Occasionally it is obvious that an applicant who would otherwise be required to take the TOEFL exam is in fact an English speaker. For instance, an applicant from a non-English-speaking country may have attended only English-speaking primary and secondary schools because the parents were always posted to English-speaking countries. Programs may cite such circumstances to request that an applicant be exempted from submitting any TOEFL score.
Generally Admissions gleans this information from the application, and will already have filled in the exception on the decision sheet. If a program is recruiting a student and knows ahead that it wants to see the decision sheet without a TOEFL score, it should notify Admissions that the application will be arriving and ask that Admissions forward that decision sheet without the TOEFL.
Stay in touch with students after admission and put newly admitted students in contact with faculty and current students in case there are questions (newly admitted students may also be admitted to other universities, and be making decisions among them.)
Often graduate applicants are not aware that a program had many more applicants than spaces, and was thus forced to deny admission to a number of qualified applicants. Providing that information in a sympathetic tone sometimes heads off a potential appeal.
For students who still wish to have the denial reviewed, the university has an established policy. Because students are expected to review and consider each response before deciding whether or not to appeal further, these steps are not automatic (the department chair, for instance, does not send the appeal on to the college.) Each step must be individually initiated by the student.
Graduate admissions to Illinois State are decentralized; as long as the student meets University minimum requirements, the admission decision rests with the specific academic program to which the student has applied.
Students who have questions about a denial of admission should begin by speaking to the graduate coordinator of the program, who will tell them why the admission was denied (e.g., the student’s grades or test scores fell below program admission requirements, there were not enough spaces for all applicants and other applicants were more qualified, or there was not a good fit between the student’s educational goals and the opportunities available in the graduate program).
Students who wish to appeal a denial of admission after discussion with the program’s graduate coordinator should make a written request to the chair/director of the department or school that houses the program. The chair/director will review the decision and notify the student of the outcome of the review.
The final opportunity for substantive review of the admissions decision is a written appeal to the dean of the college that houses the program. The dean or designee will review the decision and inform the student, the graduate coordinator, and the chair/director of the program of the outcome of the review.
Because the admissions decision rests with the academic unit, the Graduate School conducts only a procedural review; it does not undertake a reconsideration of the student’s application materials. Students who wish to request that procedural review
should make a written request to the Director of Graduate Studies. The request must include a copy of the dean’s letter to the student. The Graduate Admissions Committee will examine only whether the program followed established guidelines and procedures when it reached the decision to deny admission. The Committee will report its findings to the student, the graduate coordinator of the program, the chair/director of the department or school, the dean of the college, and the Director of Graduate Studies.
Students who believe that a denial of admission was discriminatory should contact the Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action.
Review the status and progress of each graduate student in your program. Complete transcripts including both grades and current registrations can be viewed on the SDCR screen.
Contact students who are on academic probation to confirm plans for return to good standing. For students with GPA under 3.0 confirm that the appropriate Terms of Probation notifications are on file.
Contact students who are approaching the end of the time limit for the degree or degree completion to confirm their plans for timely completion. File time extension request forms as appropriate.
For students who are planning a thesis or dissertation, confirm with the committee director that the committee list is still accurate. Make requests for changes as appropriate (e-mail message to kanance@ilstu.edu)
As students begin a thesis or dissertation, confirm that committee members meet university requirements or file requests for exceptions. With the permission of the Graduate School, committees may include members from outside the university.
As students take comprehensive exams, inform the Graduate School of outcomes within thirty days of the exam date. One way of fulfilling this requirement is simply to copy the Graduate School (mail code 4040) on the letter when you notify the student of the exam outcome.
When a student has failed a comprehensive exam and has only one try left, be certain that the student’s notification letter for that failure is copied to the Graduate School and that it includes 1) an explicit warning that the next try will be the last opportunity to pass, 2) the department chair or school director’s recommendations for further study, which may include additional courses or other tasks, before the last retake; and 3) a statement that the student will not be permitted to retake the exam until that further study has been completed.
Programs receive a list of all students who are not in good academic standing. For each student, the program needs to make a decision and fill out the form for “Terms of Probation” or “Termination,” and inform the student of the outcome.
For graduate assistants, if the cumulative GPA is below 3.0 a program is required to terminate the GA immediately. For exceptional circumstances beyond a student’s control the Graduate School will consider a request by the program for an exception. (see next section on GA appointments and terminations)
If the GA’s semester GPA is below 3.0 but the cumulative GPA is 3.0 or higher, a program may choose to terminate but is not required to do so. For those students it is up to their program whether or not to continue the appointment.
Students appointed to graduate assistantships must meet all requirements for academic good standing (3.0) and courseload (9 hours fall and spring.) If at the end of any term the student does not meet those requirements, HR will not initiate a new contract or continue an existing contract unless the appointing unit has requested and received an exception from the Graduate School to appoint that student. Appointing units that are not the student’s academic department must also provide a message of support from the student’s graduate coordinator. Low GPA exceptions are considered for one semester only, providing the student’s cumulative graduate GPA is close enough to good standing that it can be raised to 3.0 at the end of one semester. Low GPA GA exceptions are not the same as academic probation: GAs who receive that one semester exception and do not reach 3.0 cumulative will need to return to good standing before they can be reappointed, even if their program agrees to extend their academic probation for an additional semester. Underload exceptions are generally approved 1) on an ongoing basis if recommended as an accomodation by Disability Concerns and supported by the student’s academic program, or 2) for one semester only if the student is entering his or her last semester, has already filed for graduation, and can complete the degree in that term with fewer than 9 hours (in those cases the student is required to take only the courses required to complete the degree) 3) on a semester by semester basis if the student has completed all classes and all required thesis or dissertation hours, but is still working on the thesis or dissertation.
Office of Community Rights & Responsibilities (CRR) http://www.deanofstudents.ilstu.edu/about_us/crr.shtml
The Office of Community Rights & Responsibilities handles all of these types of conflict. Their support ranges from simple offers of voluntary mediation to formal and mandatory disciplinary hearings. Complaints can be filed online, and staff members are available to discuss university rules and options. CRR is a confidential setting, and the Graduate School encourages use of its resources. Prompt attention to an issue when it first emerges can often help to avoid escalation. The CRR website also has a helpful summary of university policy on classroom behavior that you may want to distribute to your teaching assistants.
One new area of concern is student behavior toward department/school staff members. If you observe a student treating a staff member in a disrespectful way, please take the time to speak to the student. If the behavior persists or escalates toward harassment, the staff member should be encouraged to file a report with CRR.
STIPEND LOAN IF GA DOES NOT RECEIVE A STIPEND CHECK ON TIME DUE TO A DEPARTMENT ERROR (NOT STUDENT ERROR)
The appointing unit first makes a request by e-mail to Shirley Craig, HR sacraig@ilstu.edu. She will verify the stipend due and email Kim Shennett, Graduate School, who will authorize a short term loan against the GA stipend check. The loan will be for 80% of the stipend check that the student would be due to receive. The GA will need to pick up the voucher at the Graduate School office on the last day of the month, then take it to Student Accounts who will issue the money. (There is no service fee) The student must repay Student Accounts immediately when the actual GA stipend arrives.
Note: When International Students receive their social security numbers they must go to Moulton 107 and request to have their student record changed in the database. HR will then finish processing the GA appointment paperwork.
Coordinators are often expected to serve as in-house experts on the curricular process. Instructions and forms for catalog changes can be found at the Graduate School website.
Some small changes that do not affect requirements, course content or hours can be made as “editorial changes” without any proposal. To determine whether the change you would like to make is editorial in nature, e-mail the Graduate Catalog page number of the item you would like to change and the exact wording of your proposed change to Sunny Portree in the Graduate School (sdportr) with a note that you are inquiring about the possibility of an editorial change. She can let you know whether the change qualifies as editorial or whether it will require a proposal.
When a proposal is required, the Graduate School may be able to provide you with a model proposal that is similar to yours for use as a template. Changes in the forms should also make the process less cumbersome and far less paper-intensive. We are also happy to review proposals before they are submitted to help spot and edit any items that will be flagged in the curricular process. For questions on curricular proposals, contact Dr. Kimberly Nance, Director of Graduate Studies, kanance@ilstu.edu.
Attached is the deadline schedule for Graduate Curriculum Committee submissions. Please note that BEFORE submission to GCC all proposals must be approved by the department/school, College Curriculum Committee, and in some cases by the University Curriculum Committee (300 courses available to undergraduates as well as graduates) and Council on Teacher Education (courses in Teacher Certification programs.) Please contact those committees for information about the latest date to submit a proposal to them in time for it to be approved and reach GCC before the deadline.
Each program (major or graduate) undergoes formal review every eight years. The review process consists first of a self-report in which the program contextualizes certain types of required data supplied by the University Office of Planning and Institutional Research, proposes its own measures and benchmarks, reviews progress on the recommendations of the previous review, and makes recommendations for future changes as appropriate. Next, the University’s Academic Planning Committee, a committee of the Academic Senate, reviews the report and drafts a response. That response is discussed with the college dean or designee, the chair/director of the program, and graduate faculty members, who may all make requests and suggestions for modifications to that response. The Planning Committee takes that input into consideration and then finalizes its report, which goes to the IBHE and is published in the next Academic Plan.
Programs are categorized as “in good standing,” “flagged for further review,” or “suspended.” The committee may also direct programs to consider selected issues and follow up with a report, either before the next program review or by some specified date. In cases of very low enrollment over the review period, a college and/or program may be instructed to consider whether a given program is still viable at Illinois State.
Chairs receive notice that the review is approaching a full year before it is due, and coordinators are often (but not necessarily) assigned by the chair/director to write the report on the graduate program/s. Included in this section are the current instructions for Program Review. Please note that there are some changes from year to year, and that when your program comes up for review you will need to follow the latest version of the instructions.
Coordinators are encouraged to take time now to locate and read the program’s most recent program review, and to be certain that any plans or concerns are being addressed now. The next review will ask for an account of progress on those areas, or an explanation of how needs and plans have changed.
Please pay particular attention to the need for an ongoing assessment plan in preparation for Program Review. If you have questions on how to construct a plan that will meet the demands of a future Program Review, Dr. Mardell Wilson at the University Assessment Office can assist you.
As your program begins its review, Associate Provost Jan Shane is available to field questions and also to read and make suggestions on your preliminary drafts.
