MEMO TO: Faculty Members and Graduate Students,
Department of Physics & Astronomy

FROM: Director of Graduate Studies,
Department of Physics & Astronomy

SUBJECT: Presence of Members at Dissertation Committee Meetings

The Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Arts & Sciences Graduate Dean's office requires that all faculty members who serve on the doctoral Dissertation Committee for one of our graduate students are expected to be present at each annual meeting of the committee. Moreover, the School of Arts & Sciences requires all faculty members to be present at the first and the final meeting of the Dissertation Committee (Admission to Candidacy and Doctoral Defense). Any exception to this requirement must be requested in writing by the student's research advisor and the department Director of Graduate Studies, for review and approval by the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies

With the growing availability of video conferencing facilities, faculty members may have reasonably assumed that “participation at a distance” is acceptable for all of these meetings. This apparently is not the case and we must follow A&S procedures. In order for me to submit a written request for an exception on your behalf, I will need a written explanation (e-mail is fine) from the research advisor. When submitting such requests, please allow sufficient time in advance of the committee meeting for me to obtain Assistant Dean approval.

All graduate students who are planning to hold a committee meeting or doctoral defense this term should pay particular attention to this requirement.

cc: L. Hirschfeld

est. 2/7/07; distributed each term; updated 2017 to include Message from the Graduate Dean about committees, remote attendance, etc.