Administrative Matters

Mission

This DE aims at creating synergies among the existing curricula and research initiatives by bringing them together in a coherent way. Since the members of this DE on the UC Davis Campus are distributed among several departments, schools and colleges, this DE serves the indispensable function of arranging for their periodic assembly, of providing a forum for them and for others with interests in Computational Social Science, and for representing Computational Social Science collectively to the University administration and other academic groups. The organization and operational characteristics of the DE should be construed broadly enough to permit consideration of all academic aspects of this field and matters affecting programs on the UC Davis Campus.

Criteria for Faculty Membership in the DE

The DE consists of persons qualified for membership in a graduate program who have Senate status and are actively interested in Computational Social Science and qualified to direct graduate study and research in this field. Membership rights are the same for all members of the DE with Senate status. All active members are eligible to vote. There are three additional criteria, any two of which are sufficient for membership in the DE:
1. Being an instructor who teaches one or more graduate courses (lecture, laboratory and/or seminar courses) in the areas of his/her graduate program with a connection to the topic of this DE. 2. Willingness to serve on qualifying and thesis committees of graduate students as the DE representative. 3. Willingness to serve on standing and ad hoc committees of the DE.
Faculty who intend to participate in the DE may submit to the DE Executive Committee a letter indicating their intent to participate in the DE. The letter must state their willingness to serve in DE functions such as teaching, administration, administrative committees, qualifying examinations, or dissertation committees.

DE Graduate Advisers

The DE Chair serves as the DE Graduate Adviser, pending approval from Graduate Studies. The duties of the Chair include:

In consultation with each student, and the student’s major advisor, recommend for each student the names of DE faculty members to serve on a student’s qualifying examination committee.
Review with each student annually his/her performance and recommend to the associated graduate program for the continuation of the student in the DE, his/her expulsion, or his/her continuation under probation. The advisor shall also recommend appropriate coursework for the student when necessary.

Quorum

50+% of the members of the group constitute a quorum for conduct of business. In the absence of a quorum, any number shall be sufficient to adjourn to a fixed date. In agreement with Graduate Council policy, all issues that explicitly require a vote must be satisfy these conditions:

They must be voted on by 50+% of the eligible members.
Passage requires a 50+% supporting vote of the members voting.

Official Proposal, Letters, and By Laws
can be found here

Administration

The administration of the DE and its activities is vested in an Executive Committee, chaired by the DE Chair and including at least two additional members. This group shall have the responsibility for setting requirements for admissions, qualifying examinations and dissertations; actively adjusting and maintaining the curriculum; and nominating committee members to serve on qualifying examinations and dissertation committees. The Executive Committee comprises the Chair, the Chair of the Membership Committee, the Chair of the Educational Policy (Curriculum) Committee, and the student representative.

1. DE Chair
The Chair of the DE is the chair of the Executive Committee, representing the interests of the DE to the campus and University administrators. The Chair of the DE (a) is responsible for maintaining a list of the faculty members of the DE and its students; (b) acts as the DE Graduate Advisor and has the responsibility of interacting with graduate advisors of the affiliated graduate programs; (c) is responsible for coordinating all administrative matters with the Office of Graduate Studies and all academic matters with Graduate Council; (d) is responsible for the accuracy of all publications related to the DE, including web pages and catalog copy; (e) organizes a yearly meeting with involved faculty and students; and (f) sends a yearly report to affiliated graduate programs on the status of membership and graduate training within the DE.

2. Committee on DE Membership
The Membership Committee, led by its Chair, shall screen applications for faculty membership and make recommendations as to acceptability to the DE, review DE faculty members every three years. It also screens student applications to the DE and interacts with affiliated graduate programs to identify students suitable for admission to the DE. This Committee also acts as the student recruiting committee for the DE. For that purpose, the Chair is encouraged to interact with programs and organizations internal and external to UC Davis. In addition, a student member of this committee sits in discussions related to topics of student recruitment and retention.

3. Committee on DE Educational Policy (CEP)
The CEP, led by its Chair, shall consider course offerings in the DE, and make appropriate recommendations for changes in course content and requirements. The Chair of the CEP shall also serve as the organizer of the DE’s required core class(es) and related seminars. The Chair is expected to interact with programs and organizations internal and external to UC Davis. In addition, a student member of this committee sits in discussions related to topics of the curriculum and course requirements.

Student Representatives

Students of the DE are invited to the annual general meeting of the DE. The Chair, upon recommendation of the DE’s graduate students, appoints one student to each of the two standing committees, the Membership Committee and the Educational Policy Committee, for input into student-related topics. The Chair of any committee with student members must excuse the student representatives from meetings during discussion about other students, personnel actions or disciplinary issues relating to faculty, during rankings of existing students for funding, and for disciplinary issues related to students (see GC2011-02). The duration of the appointment considers the respective recommendation from the DE’s graduate students, but cannot exceed two years. Students are not allowed to participate in discussion dealing with collective bargaining issues or votes. The Chair of the Executive Committee must excuse the student representatives from meetings covering confidential personnel topics.