Graduate Program Director Checklist

• Annual progress-to-degree review of all students in the program: guidance for good practices 
  
• GTA workshop requirement for all newly appointed GTAs
  
• Timely submission of plans of study, including means of satisfying the Ethics and Inclusion & Diversity requirements
  
• Timely scheduling and approval of exams (prelim and final)
  

• Transparent and coherent recruitment and admission processes that support program mission and goals.
  
• Clear and consistent processes for assistantship appointments and renewals, including principles that guide the determination of pay steps and performance expectations and evaluations;  assistantship policies and guidelines are available in the Assistantship Management Guide
  
• Standards for student records management
  
• Advising and mentoring resources for faculty; some resources are available on the Graduate School's mentoring website

Manage program compliance with SCHEV-approved curriculum:

• Oversee or review and revise program details in the Graduate Catalog by annual deadline
• Review and revise student handbook and/or equivalent web content to ensure its consistency with approved program curriculum
  
• Assess the effectiveness of the program and promote data-informed decision making about necessary updates
  
• Oversee curriculum revision and approval through governance

Oversee students’ progress, including completion of annual progress reports and proper scheduling and completion of exams:

• Provide advising and mentoring resources and guidance
• Sign academic request forms (e.g. course withdrawals; leave of absence; SSDE; etc)
  
• Sign off on prelim and final exam requests
  
• When the annual progress review establishes that a student is making UNSATISFACTORY progress, create a remedial plan with action items and deadlines in collaboration with the student’s committee and the student. Send the remedial plan to the Graduate School with the annual progress report
  
• Mediate disagreements 
  
• Manage student complaints, including referral up the chain as needed; engage the Graduate Ombudsperson as needed

Create and maintain a culture of respect and inclusion that supports student well-being and success, using mentoring and anti-bullying resources as needed

Represent the department/program at the college level and in the Graduate School:

• Attend GPD meetings and training opportunities offered by the Graduate School
• Stay abreast of academic policy and procedural changes communicated by the Graduate School
  
• Share updates with program faculty and students  
  
• Represent program interests at the college level, including advocacy for assistantship funding and administrative staffing consistent with department/program goals

Support program faculty:

• Mentor new faculty
  
• Share Graduate School resources and best practice recommendations

Manage student and faculty annual award nomination process:

• Student awards https://graduateschool.vt.edu/about/awards/student.html
  
• Outstanding mentor award: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/about/awards/outstanding-mentor-award.html

Obtain access, as needed, to systems that support and document your decision-making. Depending on the size and structure of your program, some of these systems might be accessed by the graduate coordinator only, or by the GPD, or both:

• Assistantship contracts
• Banner - Student Records
• Communication tools:
  • GPD listserv
  • Graduate Coordinators (GC) listserv
  • Assistantship Management Group
  • GLC Weekly listserv 
  • Dean’s periodic update
• Electronic Signature Approval System (exam scheduling and ETD submission)
• Graduate Catalog content management
• Slate - graduate application and admission management
• University Data Commons

See details, including information about access request, at https://graduateschool.vt.edu/faculty-and-staff-resources/GPD-GCguide.html