Graduate Studies Council Members
MEMBERSHIP: The composition of the council can be found in the Faculty Senate Bylaws, Article VI: Councils, Sec. 1, and includes at least 15 members, including the provost, the dean of the Graduate College, 10 graduate faculty members elected by the Senate (three from Arts and Sciences鈥搘ith representation from each division recommended, one from each of the other colleges (except Aviation), one from unaffiliated units, and one at large), the Faculty Senate president or executive board designee as an ex officio member, and two graduate students selected by the Graduate Student Association.
[NOTE: 鈥済raduate faculty鈥 refers to faculty which have obtained graduate faculty status as defined by the Graduate College. Aviation does not have representation, as it does not have graduate programs. In order to meet the requirement of 11 faculty members, there are two unaffiliated unit members.]
The GSC requires 9 out of 15 voting members to be in attendance to establish quorum, as long as there are no Vacant seats, any Vacant seat(s) should be removed from the voting member total so that one more than half of the new total is needed for quorum. (*indicates a non-voting member).
Council officers
Marcellis Zondag, Chair
Jennifer Fiore, Vice Chair
Louann Bierlein Palmer, Secretary
Ex Officio member
David Szabla
Faculty Senate Executive Board
Permanent members
Christine Byrd-Jacobs
Dean, Graduate College
Lisa DeChano-Cook
Curriculum Manager (designee for the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs)
Elected members
Upul Attanayake (2025)
Engineering and Applied Sciences
Louann Bierlein Palmer (2026)
Representative-At-Large (Education and Human Development)
Cristina Fava (spring 2025 substitute for Jennifer Fiore) (2027)
Fine Arts
Regina Garza Mitchell (2025)
Education and Human Development
Lori Gray (2026)
Health and Human Services
Chansheng He (2026)
Arts and Sciences (Sciences and Mathematics)
Cindy Linn (2025)
Arts and Sciences (Sciences and Mathematics)
Dianna Sachs (2025)
Unaffiliated Unit (University Libraries)
Larry Simon (2027)
Arts and Sciences (Humanities)
Marcellis Zondag (2027)
Business
Student members
Jose Embil Jr.
Graduate student
Jocelyn Medina
Graduate student
Advisory members
*Carrie Cumming
Registrar