2 Graduate Administrative Services

2.1    Student Recruitment and New Students

The Graduate and Professional School at Texas A&M University performs targeted recruitment for graduate and professional students in collaboration with colleges, departments, and interdisciplinary graduate programs. The marketing and communications team works with the the Student Development and Success area to create general communications campaigns to market Texas A&M to prospective students and to provide materials to departments for recruiting. Student Development and Success also encourages and welcomes questions from prospective students, attends graduate fairs around the country, and supports the presentation of information to undergraduate research scholars who may be interested in early graduate enrollment at Texas A&M University.

Vacant, Graduate Recruitment Coordinator
grad-recruit@tamu.edu Graduate and Professional School recruiting email address

 

2.1.1    Graduate Student Recruiting Best Practices 

• Use regional and national databases to identify top students in your discipline. The Graduate and Professional School has databases with strong students who participate in the McNair Scholars, National Name Exchange, California Diversity Forum, and SACNAS, among other programs.

• Meet with recruiters across the state and around the country to discuss best practices in recruiting and retention.

• Advertise in professional conference proceedings. You may also purchase listings of top applicants in your field from sources such as the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

• Review conference proceedings for your professional associations (national and regional) to identify student presenters. These are likely to be strong students who are already socialized into the profession.

• Electronic Prospective Request Forms: These provide a quick means for students to provide relevant information, in person or online, allowing you to match potential students with faculty and current graduate students.

• Branding: Be consistent in all publications.

• Develop a PowerPoint presentation about your program that your faculty and students can show at conferences and when visiting other universities. Doing so will help them to be effective recruiters.

 

2.1.2    Suggestions for the Successful Graduate Recruitment of Diverse Students

• Provide timely responses to prospective students. Appropriate follow-up after your first communication is imperative.

• Develop a tracking database system (CRM) to keep records of where successful applicants are from, how they found out about your program, and who their mentors and/or major professors were.

• Keep in touch with your former students, and recruit them to assist in speaking to prospective students in their hometowns.

• Keep a former student profile page available for prospective students to access.

• Fund campus visits, send personal letters from the department chair or college dean, and provide competitive assistantships and/or fellowships.

• Provide information about appropriate community resources.

• Invite students you have been communicating with, or have identified through contact cards or colleagues, to visit campus.

• Host an informational/recruitment weekend.

• Use campus events to interest prospective students in coming to campus, such as Graduate Research Week or during the Undergraduate Research Summer Program.

• Develop a group of reliable, trained, and advanced student ambassadors to help with recruiting.

• Make use of your department web page and/or department newsletter to highlight student/faculty accomplishments and collaborations, faculty research interest and successful grants, professional development activities and other things that help the prospective student identify you as a department dedicated to cutting-edge research, student success, diversity and the development of graduate students as colleagues and professionals.

• Encourage current graduate students to assist at recruiting fairs.

 

2.1.3    Recruiting Services from the Graduate and Professional School

• The recruitment of graduate students is conducted by the various departments and by the Graduate and Professional School. The Graduate and Professional School provides services to departments to assist in their recruiting efforts.

  • Materials for recruitment fairs and contacts include PowerPoint presentations for domestic and international students, brochures, handbills, flyers, and table covers.

  • Promotional materials for recruitment include pens, highlighters, and key chains, among other items.

  • Assistance with the development of departmental recruiting plans and presentations.

  • Graduate school information to local, national, and international institutions and organizations.

  • Support for the recording of information Slate (CRM) and disseminating the information to appropriate departments.

  • Names of prospective graduate students from national lists (e.g., National Name Exchange, California Diversity Forum, McNair Conference) to departmental representatives.

  • Presentations and workshops each semester to students involving various aspects of graduate school processes and resources.

  • Fellowship opportunities for prospective students to include the Avilés-Johnson Fellowship Program.

  • Representation of Texas A&M University at various local and national Graduate and Professional School Day Programs.

 

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2.2    Graduate and Professional Student Government 

The Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) works in cooperation with the Texas A&M University administration to ensure that the needs of graduate and professional students are understood and considered when campus policies concerning academic excellence, tuition and finance, and research are made.

Specific goals of the GPSG include: to represent all graduate and professional students by identifying and advocating their interests on graduate issues; to be recognized as representing a unique population within the University system; to facilitate communication on graduate issues within the University community; and to enhance the graduate experience through social service opportunities.  The Senate is comprised of elected/appointed Senators representing different departments or recognized student organizations across campus and the Governance Board. Officer elections are held in the spring. GPSG also works closely with the Student Government Association to assure graduate and professional student issues are represented and addressed through student legislation and on University committees. Additional information can be obtained by visiting the GPSG website at the GPSG website.

 

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2.3    Graduate and Professional Council

The Graduate and Professional Council is composed of representatives from the graduate faculty at Texas A&M University. The Graduate and Professional Council reviews all curricular requests pertaining to graduate and professional academic courses and programs, maintains the quality and development of graduate instruction and programs, and advises the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School on all graduate and professional program and policy matters. 
Membership consists of the following:

• One (1) representative from each college, school, and off-campus academic unit who shall be selected by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee after consultation with the college and school deans and caucuses (chairs of the college and school Committees for Graduate Instruction shall be considered for appointment)
• Two (2) representatives of the Graduate Faculty
• Two (2) graduate students
• Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School (Ex-Officio)

The Graduate and Professional School offers administrative support to the Graduate and Professional Council. All curricular requests submitted for Graduate and Professional Council review and/or approval should be submitted through the Curricular Approval Request System (CARS).

Dr. Fuhui Tong, Chair
Contact: Graduate and Professional Council Administrative Assistant – gpcadmin@tamu.edu or 979-845-3631

 

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2.4    Graduate Operations Committee

The Graduate Operations Committee (GOC) serves as an advisory body to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School. It focuses primarily on operations and procedures regarding administration of graduate education throughout the University. The GOC serves as a forum for the Associate/Assistant Deans in each College/School to discuss issues and concerns of an operational nature, and to recommend procedures, which are as uniform as possible across Colleges/Schools, to resolve these issues/concerns. The GOC works closely with the Graduate and Professional Council to coordinate all curriculum and policy issues. It also works closely with the Academic Operations Committee to consider recommendations concerning undergraduate operations and procedures. Each academic College is represented on the GOC by the Associate Dean (or other named individual) responsible for graduate studies in that college/school.

Contact: Erika Brigham, Executive Assistant to Associate Provost and Dean

 

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2.5    Authorized Signature Form

Each college or school, department, and interdisciplinary degree program (IDP) is required to have an Authorized Signers Form on file with the Graduate and Professional School. These forms identify and designate faculty and staff authorized to approve graduate and professional student documents and access certain university platforms.
This form (managed through a secure Google Drive) should be updated when there are are changes in unit roles. The Graduate and Professional School may also request updates from all units if changes in university procedures occur.

2.5.1    ​​​​​ Authorized Signers Form Access

The Authorized Signers Form is managed through a secure Google Drive. Ability to access and edit the Authorized Signers Form requires a TAMU email address and the Google Apps Account setting enabled in the “Email Settings” section on Aggie Account Gateway (https://gateway.tamu.edu/settings/email/).

Each college/school, department, and IDP must designate a point of contact/editor with the Graduate and Professional School. Should the unit’s point of contact change, please notify GradCom@tamu.edu for a transfer of access. The Graduate and Professional School will also provide vierwer access to all Deans, Department Heads, and IDP Chairs.

 

2.5.2 Authorized Signers for the Graduate Commitee Faculty Portal

The faculty member(s) designated as the College/School, Department, or Program Approver will be notified to approve Graduate Committee Faculty nominations submitted for their unit The Graduate and Professional School requires at least one designated approver for each college/school, department, and IDP).
Faculty designated as Proxy Approvers on the forms will be able,but not required, to approve Graduate Committee Faculty nominations in the event the College/School, Department, or Program Approvers are unable to do so. The Graduate and Professional School recommends each unit designate at least one Proxy Approver. Proxy Approvers will not receive notifications when nominations are submitted for approval.

Please note: Only members of the Graduate Committee Faculty may be listed as faculty approvers.

Faculty and staff members may have access to enter and view nominations for their unit. Individuals with this access will be able to create, but not approve, nominations to the Graduate Committee Faculty. Users will also be able to see the status of all nominations for their unit.
 

2.5.3 Authorized Signers for the Document Processing Submission System

The Pre-Committee Staff Approver in DPSS is the departmental “pre-check” to ensure that all degree plans and petitions submitted by students follow the program’s rules and requirements before submission to the students’ advisory committee members.

The faculty member(s) designated as the College/School, Department, or Program Approver will be required to approve all degree plans and petitions for all students submitted in DPSS for their unit or program. The Graduate and Professional School strongly recommends only one approver for each college/ school, department, and IDP.

The faculty member(s) designated as a Proxy Approver will be able, but not required, to approve degree plans and petitions in the event a College/ School, Department, or Program Approver, or advisory committee member is unable to do so. The Graduate and Professional School recommends at least one Proxy Approvers for each college/ school, department, and IDP;  however, this is not mandatory.
 

2.5.4 Authorized Signers on InfoReady for Fellowships and Awards

Nominations for fellowships and awards are submitted through the InfoReady website managed by the Student Development and Success and the Graduate Technology Management teams. The submission system is used for

• the Dr. Dionel E. Avilés ’53 and Dr. James E. Johnson ’67 Graduate Fellowship Program, and

• the Association of Former Students Distinguished Graduate Student Award.

Faculty and/or staff authorized to enter and view nominations on the Authorized Signers Form will be able to submit, but not approve, nominations in the InfoReady website and view the academic unit’s active and approved nominations. If a staff member is designated to enter nominations, no faculty member is required to be marked for that role.
Faculty authorized to approve nominations will receive notifications and have access to approve nominations in the InfoReady website.

2.5.5 Graduate Student Records Access

Academic units should indicate the faculty and/or staff member(s) authorized to provide their e-signatures on documents processed through DocuSign. Those designated as a Staff Pre-Approver are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of documents and contacts submitted through DocuSign before approval. The faculty member(s) designated as a an Approver will be authorized to approve all documents for the program sugmitted through DocuSign.

Indicate the faculty and/or staff who should have access to student documents uploaded to ImageNow.

Faculty and/or staff members with access to the Doctoral Student Profile and Feedback System will be responsible for creating students’ review cases in the system and have access to view the status of cases. Those who are designated will have the ability to create reports in the system and review the information submitted by students and their committees.

 

2.5.6 Authorized Signers for Non-Resident Tuition Waivers

Indicate the faculty and/or staff members able to submit non-resident tuition waivers to the Graduate and Professional School and serve as a designated contact person regarding waivers. Designate any faculty members authorized to approve non-resident tuition waivers.

Contact: Graduate Committee Faculty Administrative Coordinator – gradcom@tamu.edu or 979-845-3631
 

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2.6    Department Access to Graduate and Professional School Documents in TAMUDOCS 

TAMUDocs, also referred to as Perceptive Content or ImageNow, houses student documents submitted to the Graduate and Professional School. Academic units must  indicate on their Authorized Signers Form who should have access to view documents that have been submitted to the Graduate and Professional School. This access will allow faculty and staff to confirm that documents have been received by the Graduate and Professional School and allow users to see what has been processed and approved or returned.

To view the student documents submitted by your unit in TAMUDocs,

•  Log in at  https://tamudocs.tamu.edu/ or use the Perceptive Content client (if it is already installed on your desktop) with your NetID and Password.

• Select the “Documents” drop-down and select the “OGAPS – Department View” option.

• Click once on the respective “Search by …” filters on the left of the screen. 

• For example, to search by UIN, click on the filter labeled, “Search by UIN”. A prompt will pop-up for you to enter a UIN.

 

• 4. Double click any document to open/view it. You will only be able to view documents linked to your specific department. You will not have access to route the document or add any stamps or annotations for the Graduate and Professional School. 

• 5. To perform another search after you have already executed one, click on the green “Go” button in the top right to open the prompt again. 

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2.7    Guidelines for Graduate Faculty Membership

The Graduate Faculty at Texas A&M University consists of the President, the Provost and Executive Vice President, the Associate Provosts, the Deans of all subject-matter colleges/schools, selected Directors, and properly qualified academic groups.

The Graduate Faculty Guidelines (https://grad.tamu.edu/academics/graduate-faculty) explains university policies and practices which Deans, Department Heads, and intercollegiate faculty Chairs should follow in nominating members to the Graduate Committee Faculty of Texas A&M University for participation on graduate student advisory committees. This document also discusses the various roles of Graduate Committee Faculty and describes the credentialing requirements for the Graduate Teaching Faculty. Colleges/schools, departments, and interdisciplinary degree programs may require additional requirements that must be satisfied for appointment to the Graduate Committee Faculty. Additional requirements are subject to review and approval by the Associate Provost for Graduate and Professional School.

2.7.1    Graduate Teaching Faculty 

According to SACSCOC guidelines, faculty teaching graduate and post-baccalaureate coursework should have an earned doctorate or terminal degree in the teaching discipline or a related discipline. Other credentials that may be considered include possessing a master’s degree or at least 18 semester credit hours of graduate-level coursework in the same or closely related field, professional licensure or certification in a related field or profession, or significant professional, research or teaching experience in the same or closely related field. Faculty members meeting these credentialing requirements are automatically members of the Graduate Teaching Faculty.

The Office of Faculty Affairs assumes responsibility for verifying the teaching qualifications for faculty. Colleges/schools, and departments oversee hiring of Graduate Assistants who serve as instructors of record for undergraduate courses.  The guidelines for all instructional faculty, including Graduate Teaching Assistants, who are instructors of record for graduate and undergraduate courses at Texas A&M University and its two branch campuses – Texas A&M University at Galveston and Texas A&M University at Qatar – are available on the Faculty Affairs website (https://facultyaffairs.tamu.edu/Faculty-Affairs/Faculty-Credentialing).

In addition to meeting the credentialing requirements for teaching graduate courses, faculty teaching research courses such as 691 (Research) and other designated courses must also be members of the Graduate Committee Faculty.

2.7.2    Graduate Committee Faculty
Appointees to the Graduate Committee Faculty participate in the graduate degree programs of Texas A&M University by serving on graduate student advisory committees.

2.7.2.1 General Terms of Membership

Members of the Graduate Committee Faculty are selected from qualified individuals of the faculty and professional staff of Texas A&M University; from employees of Texas A&M University System agencies; from employees of affiliated research organizations located near Texas A&M campus sites, and from affiliated hospitals and clinical organizations.
Nomination for membership on the Graduate Committee Faculty is always initiated by the head of the appropriate academic department, intercollegiate faculty chair, or dean of a college/school (under special circumstances) of Texas A&M University.

Membership on the Graduate Committee Faculty is maintained only by participating in graduate programs by directing or administering graduate work, by doing research and publishing, or by other direct and substantial contributions to the graduate programs of the University, such as through service on a Graduate Instruction Committee or with administrative assignments in graduate education.  A member of the graduate committee faculty may not serve on the graduate committee faculty of an academic program in which the member is pursuing a graduate degree or certificate. Individuals who have not been appointed to the Graduate Committee Faculty may not serve on student advisory committees unless special approval is granted by the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School.

The Graduate and Professional Council expects that all Deans, Department Heads, and intercollegiate faculty Chairs will regularly review the Graduate Committee Faculty under their direction and will recommend withdrawal of the appointments of any members who no longer merit membership on the Graduate Committee Faculty on the basis of their lack of contribution to graduate education.

If the chair of a student’s advisory committee voluntarily leaves the University and the student is near completion of the degree and wants the chair to continue to serve in this role, the student is responsible for securing a current member of the University Graduate Committee Faculty, from the student’s academic program and located near the Texas A&M University campus site, to serve as the co-chair of the committee. The Department Head or intercollegiate faculty Chair may request in writing to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School that a faculty member who is on an approved leave of absence or has voluntarily separated from the University, be allowed to continue to serve in the role of chair of a student’s advisory committee without a co-chair for up to one (1) year. The student should be near completion of the degree. Extensions beyond the one-year period can be granted with additional approval of the Associate Provost and Dean. 

The Department Head or intercollegiate faculty Chair must provide notification to any faculty member who is non-voluntarily removed from the roles of the Graduate Committee Faculty. Faculty members have the right to appeal their removal through University Rule 12.99.99.M2 (Faculty Grievances Procedures; https://rules-saps.tamu.edu/PDFs/12.99.99.M0.01.pdf). Before removal, the academic unit should verify the faculty member is no longer active on any student committees. Current faculty participation on student advisory committees can be found via the Committee/Service Member Inquiry (SHICMBQ) screen in Compass.

The two categories of membership are: 1) Member, and 2) Special Appointment.

2.7.2.2 Members of Graduate Committee Faculty

There are five member category types defined in the  Graduate Committee Faculty Guidelines:

• Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty (TTF) at Texas A&M University

• Academic Professional Track (APT) Faculty at Texas A&M University at Qatar

• Academic Professional Track (APT) Faculty at Texas A&M University, TAMU System Agencies, and Affiliated Hospitals and Clinical Organizations

• Professional Staff (PS) at Texas A&M University, TAMU System Agencies, and Affiliated Hospitals and Clinical Organizations

• Faculty and Professional Staff Employed by Other Institutions and Organizations (OtherFPS)

The GCF Guidelines outline the nomination process and minimum qualifications which must be met for eligibility to serve in each of three member roles: Chair, Co-Chair, and/or Member.

2.7.2.3 Special Appointments

There may be times where the head of an academic department or intercollegiate faculty chair wishes to have qualified individuals (such as those from government, industry, or another university) serve on a student’s advisory committee without being permanent members on the Graduate Committee Faculty.
An individual serving as a Special Appointment on a student’s advisory committee does not count toward the minimum number of Graduate Committee Faculty necessary to form the committee, does not appear on the student’s degree plan, and does not approve student documents. Special Appointments, however, may be listed on the title page of a thesis, dissertation, or record of study.
Contact: Graduate Committee Faculty Administrative Coordinator – gradcom@tamu.edu or 979-845-3631

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2.8    Graduate Committee Faculty Nomination

Authorized users may submit Graduate Committee Faculty nominations through the Graduate Committee Faculty Portal (http://gradcom.tamu.edu/). To enter or approve in GradCom, the user must be listed on a college/school, department, or interdisciplinary degree program’s Authorized Signers Form (see section 2.5 above). Any issues with access or notifications should be directed to the Graduate Committee Faculty Administrative Coordinator.

2.8.1    Graduate Committee Faculty Nomination System 

After logging in to GradCom (http://gradcom.tamu.edu/), select the “Nominations” tab. To create a new nomination, click “Create New Nomination”.
Complete the form in its entirety. Please enter the nominee’s location, category, primary department, academic rank, and details of degrees earned;  upload the appropriate documents – Curriculum Vitate for all nominees and Letter of Support for APT, PS, and OtherFPS nominees (TTF nominations do not require a letter of support); select the appropriate membership roles; and submit the nomination for approval through the workflow.
If a unit no longer intends to pursue an incomplete or returned nomination, it can be cleared from the system by selecting “Delete Nomination.”
For more information on entering and approving graduate committee faculty nominations, please see the Graduate Committee Faculty Portal User’s Guide available on the GradCom home page.

2.8.2 Nominating Faculty and Professional Staff Employed by Other Institutions and Organizations

Faculty and Professionals who are not employed by TAMU, TAMUQ, TAMUS agencies listed in section C, or affiliated hospitals and clinical organizations are eligible to participate as a member of the Graduate Committee Faculty (if permitted by college/school, department, or interdisciplinary degree program guidelines). Prior to nomination, the nominating college/school, department, or interdisciplinary degree program must

• Sponsor an account for the prospective nominee through the university’s Technology Services (https://it.tamu.edu/services/accounts-and-id-management/uin-netid-and-passwords/guest-accounts/)

• Once a University Identification Number (UIN) has been assigned, the prospective nominee must claim a NetID and create a TAMU email address through Aggie Account Gateway (https://gateway.tamu.edu/)

• The prospective nominee must then publish the TAMU email address to the University Directory (also through Aggie Account Gateway)

• Prospective nominees must also complete mandatory online trainings (EIS and FERPA) before the academic unit can complete the nomination approval process

Once all the above steps have been completed, the academic unit may submit nominations through the Graduate Committee Faculty Nomination Portal for approval.
Contact information: Technology Services, Identity Management – identity@tamu.edu or 979-862-4300

 

2.8.3 Nominating Special Appointments 

Nominations for  non-voting Special Appointments do not require the academic unit to sponsor credentials or for the prospective nominee to be assigned a University Identification Number (UIN).
Complete the nomination form in its entirety. Please enter the nominee’s location, email address, employer, position or title, and details of degrees earned;  upload a current Curriculum Vitate (Special Appointment nominations do not require a letter of support); enter the UIN of the student for whom the Special Appointment will advise; and submit the nomination for approval through the workflow.

2.8.4 Graduate Committee Faculty Membership Change Requests

Academic units may adjust their Graduate Committee Faculty members’ roles through the Change Request process. After logging into GradCom, select the “Committee Faculty” tab,search by first or last name, or see all members with a specific unit affiliation (the affiliation in bold is the member’s primary/home department). Select a specific member by clicking “View.” Under “Memberships”, select your unit from the drop-down menu and click “Start Change Request.” The request will move to the “Change Request List” page. To initiate, click the “Update” button. The change request will than move the the same approval process as the equivalent regular nomination.
Please note: users can make change requests only for departments in which they are authorized to submit Graduate Committee Faculty nominations.
For more information on entering and approving change requests, please see the Graduate Committee Faculty Portal User’s Guide available on the GradCom home page.
Contact: Graduate Committee Faculty Administrative Coordinator – gradcom@tamu.edu or 979-845-3631

 

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2.9    Interdisciplinary Degree Programs (IDPS)

The Graduate and Professional Catalog provides a list of approved interdisciplinary degree programs at the master’s and doctoral levels.

All Graduate and Professional School documents for students in the following programs require the signature of the Chair of the appropriate interdisciplinary program. Students who have not filed a degree plan are listed as members of the IDP’s administrative home department. Once a degree plan is filed, the student will count as a member of the advisory committee chair’s home department.

Students in IDPs graduate with the college/school as determined by the program below.

Program/Major	Degree	Commencement Ceremony
Agribusiness	MAB	with College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Agribusiness & Managerial Economics	PhD	with College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Biotechnology	MBIOT	with College of Engineering
Data Science	MS	with college where chair of advisory committee resides*
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology	PhD	With college where chair of advisory committee resides*
Energy	MS	with College of Engineering
Genetics	MS	With college where chair of advisory committee resides*
Genetics	PhD	With college where chair of advisory committee resides*
Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences	MS	with College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences	PhD	with College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Neuroscience	MS	With college where chair of advisory committee resides*
Neuroscience	PhD	With college where chair of advisory committee resides*
Toxicology	MS	With college where chair of advisory committee resides*
Toxicology	PhD	With college where chair of advisory committee resides*
Water Management & Hydrological Sciences	MS	with College of Arts and Sciences
Water Management & Hydrological Sciences	MWM	with College of Arts and Sciences
Water Management & Hydrological Sciences	PhD	With college where chair of advisory committee resides*

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2.10 New 689 Course - Special Topics

689 (Special Topics) courses may be taught, temporarily, with approval from the Graduate and Professional School. According to the Rule FS.15.013 for Special Topics Courses (https://u.tamu.edu/FS-15-013), a new graduate course may be taught under the designtation of 689 (Special Topics) two times. After the second offering, the course should then be given a regular, permanent course number and submitted for approval as a new course. The Special Topics course may receive approval for a third time only if a permanent course request has been created and submitted in the Curricular Approvals Request System (CARS) for consideration. This process will be monitored by the Graduate and Professional School.

Note: If extenuating circumstances exist to prevent submission of a new course request, and the course must be approved a third time, please contact the Graduate and Professional School excplaining the situation.

689 requests must be submitted through the Registrar’s Section Request System (SRS) at https://sectionrequest.tamu.edu/. For information on the SRS and submission of 689 requests, see the Regstrar’s User Guide (https://sectionrequest.tamu.edu/UserGuide/SRSUserGuide.pdf). Additional information regarding Special Topics courses can be found on the Office of the Registrar’s Course Inventory Approvals webpage at https://u.tamu.edu/Course-Inventory-Approvals.

Contact: Graduate and Professional School – grad@tamu.edu or 979-845-3631
                Office of the Registrar, Scheduling Office – scheduling@tamu.edu or 979-458-4950

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2.11 GradAdvisors LISTSERV

The LISTSERV is a mailing service through which the Graduate and Professional School, as well as other entities around campus, disperse information relevant to graduate and professional students, advisors, and programs at Texas A&M University.

2.11.1    Some examples of LISTSERV appropriate information:

• Scholarship/Grant/Fellowship information

• Information for graduate and professional students and advisors related to programming, events, and professional development

• Updates/changes to graduate academic requirements

• Student rule information relevant to graduate students or programs

Note: All information should be applicable to the campus community as a whole, rather than one specific college or department.

2.11.2    Submitting Information to the LISTSERV

Messages should be sent to gradadvisors@listserv.tamu.edu for approval and should be addressed to the intended recipients: “Grad Advisors.”. The moderator acts only as a filter for unnecessary information and does not edit or tailor individual emails for submission. Each email should be carefully crafted, meticulously proofread and edited, and have contact information clearly listed.

2.11.3    Subscribing/Unsubscribing from the LISTSERV

To subscribe to the Grad Advisor LISTSERV, send an email to listserv@listserv.tamu.edu with the following commands as a single line in the body of the message:

• Subscribe GRADADVISORS Firstname Lastname

where “Firstname” and “Lastname” is your real name.

• No “Subject” is required. You do not need to include your email address in your message. LISTSERV automatically uses the address from your email.

To unsubscribe or sign off from the Grad Advisors LISTSERV, send an email to listserv@listserv.tamu.edu with the following command as a single line in the body of your message:

• SIGNOFF GRADADVISORS

• Your email must come from the account you used when you subscribed to the list.

grad@tamu.edu – More information pertaining to the GradAdvisorS Listserv.
grad@tamu.edu – More information pertaining to the GradAdvisorS Listserv.

 

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2.12    COMPASS USE

Compass, the student information system, provides critical support to the administrative and academic operations of Texas A&M University by maintaining an electronic database of student records. It is accessible online to authorized users. Compass support is divided into six functional areas: admissions processing, registration, student records, student accounts and billing, student financial aid, and degree evaluation.

2.12.1    Access

If your job duties require you to use Compass, you will need a Compass Account Request form initiated by the Primary Authorizing Agent (PAA) within the employee tab of Howdy.  After you complete the Basic Navigation training, you will receive your Compass account. You will then be notified to take additional training if needed. Prerequisites for acquiring Compass access include knowing your NetID and password, acquainting yourself with the Howdy web portal, completing the EIS Application Security Statement of Acknowledgement, and completing FERPA training.
More information on Compass may be found online at https://eis.tamu.edu/Compass.

The following Compass security groups are necessary to obtain Compass forms which display items associated with graduate student progress and provide access to generate a graduate degree evaluation:
G_REGI_CAPP_DEG_AUDIT_VIEW
Grants access to the Advisor Menu Channel on the Instructor/Howdy Dashboard in the Howdy Portal. With this security group, advisors can generate degree evaluations and access the advisor functions in self-service. Includes Compass forms: SMARQCM, SMACACT, SMAPRLE.

G_REGI_CAPP_ADJUSTMENT_VIEW
Provides query level access to Compass forms which display archived degree audit data. Includes Compass forms: SMASARA, SMASLIB.

G_CLGR_GRAD_STU_INFO_VIEW
Provides query level access to Compass forms which display graduate GPA, graduate student advisory committees, faculty committee assignments, non-course requirements, thesis/dissertation information and accumulated doctoral hours and terms. This group also provides Compass Reports access to all Graduate and Professional School reports which are used by department and college graduate advisors. Includes Compass forms: SOAGPAT, SHICMID, SHICMBQ, SHANCRS, SHAQPNO.

2.12.2    Compass Training

Compass training is currently completed in the Introductory Training available through Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) at the beginning of the Compass account setup process. Additional information is available through the Employee tab on the Howdy Portal. Under this tab, there is a channel entitled “Compass User Training” that contains various electronic presentations on Compass topics.

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2.13    COMPASS REPORTS

Compass Reports is a repository of Compass-based reports which allows approved users to display, download, and print documents created by a variety of TAMU offices. Compass Reports is accessed via the Compass Reports link in the Compass Channel on the Employee tab in the Howdy Portal or via the Compass Reports Icon in the Howdy Portal.

2.13.1    Access

Following the same process used to request or update a Compass account, PAAs request access to reports for their Compass users by completing the ‘Compass Account Request Form’ In Howdy. The security group which contains the desired report is listed on the request. The completed form is sent to EIS for approval.

2.13.2 Graduate and Professional School Use of Compass Reports

The Graduate and Professional School will include all Graduate and Professional School reports used by departments and colleges in specific security groups available by college and department. Please have your PAA contact Trent Smith at smitht@tamu.edu or Stephen Caster at scaster@tamu.edu for the specific group that needs to be requested.

The following lists some common graduate student-related reports available through COMPASS Reports:

Report Name	Description
PWS_CURR_STD_COMM_XX	All students in the college with a committee. Lists all the student’s committee members, member UIN, member type and member affiliated department(s) in Compass.
PWS_GR_COMMITTEE_XX	Ad hoc report. This report only exists if it has been requested by a department or faculty member through the eis-reports team. It will list all committees a specific faculty member has ever served on including historic committees from SIMS. The report has the option to also include the student’s thesis/dissertation title.
PWS_GRAD_GPR_XX	College specific report that lists whether the graduate student has an approved degree plan, completed degree plan hours, degree plan GPR, cumulative GPR, incompletes, completed S/U hours, and committee chair.
PWS_ELP_CERTIFICATION_XX	English Language Proficiency levels, as they relate to English Language Certification for international students.
SRC_AL_FINAL_GRAD_AL SRC_AL_FINAL_GRAD_AL_CSV SRC_AL_FINAL_GRAD_GR SRC_AL_FINAL_GRAD_GR_CSV SRC_AL_FINAL_GRAD_XX SRC_AL_FINAL_GRAD_XX_CSV	Final graduation report. The SRC_AL_FINAL_GRAD_AL reports list all students who graduated (UG, GR, professional). The “_GR” reports only list graduate students.
SRC_AL_GRAD_COMM_XX SRC_AL_GRAD_COMM_XX_CSV	Faculty affiliated in Compass with the college who serve on graduate advisory committees. Lists all committees (enrolled students only) on which they serve. Includes member type, student UIN and student program. Intended to be used for Faculty load.
SRC_CS_ACCUM_DOC_HRS_XX	Accumulated doctoral hours and terms of G8 doctoral students.
SRC_CS_GRAD_GPR_XX SRC_CS_GRAD_GPR_XX_CSV	Cumulative graduate GPR and degree plan GPR of enrolled students.
SRC_CS_GRAD_STU_ENROLL_XX	Graduate students enrolled for the semester or term.
SRC_CS_NO_DEGPLAN_XX SRC_CS_NO_DEGPLAN_XX_CSV	Students who will be blocked for missing degree plan, includes TAMU email address for contact.

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