- CITE Steering Committee/Procedures for Selecting Students for TE Dept. Committees
- Doctoral Education Committee (DEC)
- TE Dept. Faculty Advisory Coordinating Committee (FACC)
- CITE Mentoring Committee
- Council of Graduate Students (COGS)
- 3-6 students who are new to the committee
- 1-3 students who served on the committee during the previous year
- At least 1 student on the committee must be an international PhD student who had not lived/studied in the U.S. prior to coming to MSU.
CITE Steering Committee/Procedures for Selecting Students for TE Dept. Committees
The steering committee of CITE students (that assigns students to TE Department committees) is an elected committee. This steering committee is responsible for assigning students to serve on several TE Department committees (see below for a description of these committees).
The steering committee is composed of 5-8 CITE students:
Each year, the steering committee will be formed in April and will function through the end of the following March. Students who are interested in applying to serve on the steering committee will apply by completing an application form (see below).
Each year, the outgoing steering committee will review the applications and choose students to serve on the incoming steering committee:
- The outgoing committee will consult with the program coordinator regarding the academic standing of the applicants;
- The outgoing steering committee will then use a blinded process to review applications (that is, students' names will be removed before the applications are reviewed).
Doctoral Education Committee (DEC)
Graduate students who work on the Doctoral Education Committee offer an important voice to the program. The DEC charge is to develop and/or consider various doctoral program requirements. The DEC reports its work directly to the faculty and to the department chairperson. Curricular changes or suggestions for revisions are made through a committee (faculty) vote.
In 2011-12, the DEC worked with the TE Comprehensive Exam Committee to revise the CITE Comprehensive Exam policy; do a review of CITE program benchmarks; and pilot a new research assistant (RA) evaluation form. In addition, the DEC surveyed the TE faculty and CITE students to get their feedback on various program requirements (e.g., practicum, comprehensive exams, dissertation). Further, the DEC provided workshops for CITE students and faculty on such topics as writing for publication, advising international students, and changes in program requirements.
The primary roles of the doctoral students on this committee are to offer feedback, engage in critical discussions about policy, share program concerns expressed by the doctoral student body, and assist with necessary data gathering (e.g., developing the CITE student survey on program requirements). The doctoral students are not allowed to vote on any policy decisions.
TE Dept. Faculty Advisory Coordinating Committee (FACC)
The TE Dept. Faculty Advisory and Coordinating Committee (FACC) is comprised of TE Dept. faculty members who are representative of many other Dept. committees. In the early fall, committee members finalize submissions for university awards. Throughout the year, the FACC sets the agenda for TE Dept. faculty meetings. During these meetings, faculty members report on the work done in their respective committees and ask for feedback on that work.
As a graduate student member of this committee, one is able to get a good overview of the various aspects of committee work, programmatic decisions at all levels, and planning for faculty meetings. In addition, one has the opportunity to offer input on many diverse issues facing TE faculty members and CITE students and really see the work that one is likely to do in the future.
CITE Mentoring Committee
The mentoring committee work unfolds in three phases: phase one is contacting current CITE students to create a list of potential mentors. At this phase, it is useful to know the general area/ subject interests of potential mentors. Although a direct 1:1 match of interests is not feasible for all pairings, this is a good place to start.
Phase two involves pairing mentors with mentees (incoming CITE first-year students). The department collects a list of contact information and subject interests from new students in late spring or early summer, so the mentoring committee uses this information to pair mentees with mentors who share similar interests, professional experiences, etc.
Phase three of the work is setting up the meet-and-greet time during CITE new student orientation in August. If at all possible, it is best if mentors are able to be at MSU and meet their mentee during the orientation. Beforehand, we encouraged each mentor to send a welcome email and introduce themselves to their mentee. During the orientation day, mentors typically meet their mentee, take them on a brief tour of campus, and join them for lunch and conversation. From that point on, the committee passes the work on to individual mentors, who keep in touch with mentees throughout the year.
Council of Graduate Students (COGS)
COGS is the official student governmental body of graduate students at MSU. As such, COGS advocates on behalf of both graduate students and graduate education to the administration, faculty, governing bodies, and the community at large. Members of COGS are able to do this through service on university wide committees, taking part in university governance, and through one-on-one advocacy. In 2011-12, COGS sought to promote graduate research and scholarship through their hosting and sponsorship of the annual Graduate Academic Conference. This event allows students to present their research in both paper and poster form, and to compete for various monetary awards. Additionally, COGS has a) sought to provide increased access to athletic facilities and activities, b) supported the establishment of a Graduate Student Center as a way to provide centralized services to MSU's graduate community, c) worked with other graduate student organizations to provide activities during the holidays, and d) sought to encourage the establishment of graduate student organizations within each department.
Finally, COGS has been working closely with the Graduate Employees Union in an effort to increase support for all graduate and professional students at MSU. It should be noted that GEU is only able to negotiate on behalf of service and teaching assistants, those graduate students who hold research assistantships. COGS is the body that is responsible for representing all of the graduate student body at MSU.
As a COGS departmental representative you are asked to attend the monthly council meeting. All action and resolutions brought by COGS are voted on at this meeting. In addition, a number of administrators and other dignitaries make presentations and provide information to the graduate community. Each member of COGS is required to serve on one additional committee. These are either university wide or related to COGS. The responsibilities of these committee assignments vary.
Link to COGS website.
