By-Laws for the Education Committee and Affiliated Design Faculty
Article I: Purpose
The Colleges of Engineering and Environmental Design shall establish and administer a graduate program of instruction leading to a Master of Design (MDes) degree (Plan II), to be managed and overseen by an Education Committee and Affiliated Design Faculty. The interdisciplinary and diverse nature of academic and research interests of the faculty participating in the degree program through these bodies will provide students with a broad scope of educational opportunities. The appointment of an Education Committee to monitor the degree program assures rigorous training for all graduates of the MDes.
Article II: Membership
Members of the Affiliated Design Faculty are faculty and lecturers who are actively engaged in teaching and research in various subfields of design, innovation, and technology, and wish to be affiliated with the MDes program. New affiliates are admitted on submission of a curriculum vitae to the Academic and Associate Directors. Membership shall be reviewed periodically by the Education Committee, to insure that affiliates are actively involved in the MDes program.
Article III: Education Committee
The management of the Design Affiliates and the degree program shall be vested in an Education Committee, consisting of an Academic Director, an Associate Director, and at least two senate faculty and one lecturer.
The Education Committee and Affiliated Design Faculty shall both have the opportunity to make nominations for the positions of Academic and Associate Directors, and the final nomination shall be voted upon by the Education Committee. Upon receiving the nomination, the Dean of the College of Engineering shall be responsible for confirming the appointment of the Academic Director, and the Dean of the College of Environmental Design shall be responsible for confirming the appointment of the Associate Director.
New members of the Education Committee must be current members of the Affiliated Design Faculty, and shall either be nominated by the group, or invited to stand for election by the directors. The Affiliated Design Faculty shall have the opportunity to vote to confirm nominated candidates in an election that may be conducted either in-person or online. The senate faculty in the Affiliated Design Faculty vote for the senate faculty slots, and the lecturers within the Affiliated Faculty Group vote on the lecturer slot(s).
The term of the two directorships shall be three years, renewable. It is expected that the directors will hold that position for no longer than two terms of service. Terms for the Education Committee shall, initially, consist of half one-year terms and half two-year terms. Subsequent appointments to the committee shall consist of two-year terms, thus resulting in a staggered cycle to ensure continuity of expertise.
The principal responsibilities of the Education Committee are:
- Represent the Affiliated Design Faculty in official matters pertaining to the MDes, both within and without the University;
- Conduct administrative and clerical matters related to the MDes;
- Approve and review Affiliated Design Faculty membership and maintain a list of active members;
- Appoint or act as the MDes Admissions Committee, Curriculum Committee, and Graduate Advising Committee.
The Academic and Associate Directors shall meet regularly to discuss administrative and instructional needs.
Article IV: Other Committees
The Education Committee will appoint or act as the following three standing committees.
Admissions Committee. The Admissions Committee shall have the following responsibilities:
- Review applications to the MDes, and make admissions recommendations to the Dean of the Graduate Division;
- Review student admissions requirements and make appropriate modifications;
- Review applications for financial support and make recommendations to the Directors, when applicable.
Curriculum Committee. The curriculum committee shall have the following responsibilities:
- Review course requirements for the MDes and make appropriate additions/deletions to the list of relevant courses;
- Review capstone requirements and make appropriate modifications;
- Review syllabus changes to core courses within the MDes, prior to sending to COCI.
Graduate Advising Committee. The Graduate Advising Committee shall have the following responsibilities:
- Review and approve any variations from the standard MDes curriculum;
- Review and approve student capstones.
In addition, the Education Committee may appoint ad hoc committees as needed.
Article V: Meetings
A regular meeting of the Affiliated Design Faculty shall be held once per semester. The Academic Director or Associate Director shall call meetings as shall be deemed necessary or desirable. The Director(s) shall call a special meeting whenever requested by written notice from five or more members.
Minutes of each meeting shall be the responsibility of the directors and shall be distributed to the membership following the meeting. At meetings, twenty-five percent (25%) of the active members in residence shall constitute a quorum.
The Education Committee shall meet with greater frequency, as needed to fulfill the responsibilities outlined in section III above.
Article VI: Amendments
Approval of changes in these by-laws shall be proposed by the Education Committee and shall require a two-thirds majority of votes cast by the Affiliated Design Faculty either in person during the semesterly meeting, or through an online ballot.