Authorized Signers Forms
The Authorized Signers Forms enables academic units across Texas A&M University to submit important contact information and grant faculty and staff with the ability to access university platforms or approve graduate documents. All Colleges/Schools, Departments, and Interdisciplinary Degree Programs must maintain Authorized Signers with the Graduate and Professional School.
DESIGNATED EDITORS AND VIEWERS
All academic units' Authorized Signers Forms are now platformed on Texas A&M University's shared Google Drive. To maintain an up to date Authorized Signers Form, the College/School, Department, or Interdisciplinary Degree Program must designate an authorized Editor for the academic unit's form (only one individual may maintain access as an editor of the academic unit's Authorized Signers Form). If the unit has already designated an Editor of the form, administrative faculty and staff should coordinate with that individual regarding any necessary updates to the unit's Authorized Signers Form.
The College/School Deans Department Heads, and Interdisciplinary Degree Program Chairs will automatically be designated as Viewer of the unit's Authourized Signers Form.
Editors and Viewers may access the academic unit's form at any time through TAMU's shared Google Drive by logging in using their TAMU NetID.
If the academic unit needs to change the designated Editor of its form, please email a request to
Grad-AuthSigners@tamu.edu, include the unit's Dean/Department Head/Program Chair and the currently designated Editor on the email, and the access will be updated.
CONTACTS
The Contacts section must be fully complete for all faculty and staff in the College/School, Department, or Interdisciplinary Degree Program with graduate administrative roles listed on the form. Please provide their Titles, UINs, NetIDs, Email Addresses, and Phone Numbers.
[For Departments and Interdisciplinary Degree Programs] Please note: All names entered in the Contacts section will auto-populate in the Authorizations section (detailed below).
AUTHORIZATIONS
All available parts of the Authorizations section should be completed for all Colleges/Schools, Departments, and Interdisciplinary Degree Programs. Please be prepared to assign roles for the Graduate Committee Faculty nominations process, the Document Processing Submission System and Academic Requirements Completion System (if applicable), graduate Fellowships and Awards nominations, English Language Proficiency Compliance, and for the processing of Non-Resident Tuition Waivers.
Graduate Committee Faculty Portal (GradCom)
Nominations for membership in the Graduate Committee Faculty are submitted through the Graduate Committee Faculty Portal (GradCom) managed by the Graduate and Professional School.
- “Enter/View Nominations” enables the designated user to submit (but not approve) nominations in the Graduate Committee Faculty Portal and view the academic unit's active and approved nominations. Note: The Graduate and Professional School requires all units to designate at least one person to enter/view nominations. Both administrative faculty and staff members may enter/view nominations; if a staff member is marked to enter/view nominations, no faculty member is required to be marked for that role.
- Administrative faculty designated as an “Approver” will receive notifications to approve new nominations in GradCom. Note: The Graduate and Professional School recommends designating only one “Approver” for Graduate Committee Faculty nominations approvals.
- Administrative faculty designated as a “Proxy Approver” will be able to approve nominations in the Graduate Committee Faculty system when needed, but will not receive notifications to approve new nominations. Note: The Graduate and Professional School recommends designating at least one “Proxy Approver” for Graduate Committee Faculty nominations.
- [For Colleges/Schools Only] Access as a “GIC-GOC Viewer” will enable the designated user to see the details and status of (but not approve) the College/School’s in-process and approved nominations in GradCom. Note: Both administrative faculty and staff members may view nominations.
- [For Colleges/Schools Only] The Chair of the College or School’s Graduate Instruction Committee (GIC) must be designated as the "GIC Approver" and will receive notifications to approve Graduate Committee Faculty nominations (for Academic Professional Track faculty, Professional Staff, and other Faculty and Professional Staff) after the Department, Interdisciplinary Program, or College/School Approver.
- [For Colleges/Schools Only] The Dean of the College or School’s Graduate Operations Committee (GOC) must be designated as the "GOC Approver" and will receive notifications to approve Graduate Committee Faculty nominations after the College/School’s GIC Approver.
- [For Colleges/Schools Only] Administrative faculty designated as a GIC or GOC "Proxy” will be able to approve nominations in GradCom when needed, but will not receive notifications to approve new nominations. Note: When the GIC Chair and GOC Dean position are occupied by different individuals, the Graduate and Professional School recommends designating the GIC Approver as the GOC Proxy, and the GOC Approver as the GIC Proxy.
Document Processing Submission System (DPSS)
Graduate degree plans and petitions are completed through the Document Processing Submission System DPSS managed by the Graduate Records Processing Team.
- Those designated as a "Pre-Committee Approver" are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of documents submitted by graduate students through DPSS before review by advisory committee members. Note: Academic units must designate at least one Pre-Committee Approver; both administrative faculty and staff members may approve in the Pre-Committee role.
- Administrative faculty designated as an "Approver" will receive notifications and have access to approve graduate student documents in DPSS. Anyone marked as an "Approver" must approve all documents for all students in all designated majors/degrees. Note: The Graduate and Professional School strongly recommends designating only one "Approver" for DPSS documents; approvers must be members of the Graduate Committee Faculty.
- Administrative faculty designated as a "Proxy Approver" will not receive notifications but are able, not required, to approve student documents in DPSS - when needed - on behalf of the Approver and members of students' advisory committees. Note: The Graduate and Professional School recommends designating at least one "Proxy Approver" for DPSS documents; Proxy Approvers must be members of the Graduate Committee Faculty.
Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS)
Please note: The Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS) replaced DocuSign for approval of most graduate student documents as of 1 September 2023. The roles below are designated through the DPSS section described above.
Please indicate the faculty and/or staff member(s) authorized to provide their e-signatures on documents processed through the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS) platformed on Howdy.- Those designated as a "Pre-Committee Approver" are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of documents and contacts submitted through ARCS before review by advisory committee members (when applicable). Note: Academic units must designate at least one Pre-Committee Approver; both administrative faculty and staff members may approve in the Pre-Committee role.
- Administrative faculty designated as an "Approver" will receive notifications and have access to approve graduate student documents in ARCS. Anyone marked as an "Approver" will receive notifications to review documents submitted by graduate students in the designated majors/degrees. Note: The Graduate and Professional School strongly recommends designating only one "Approver" for ARCS documents; approvers must be members of the Graduate Committee Faculty.
- Administrative faculty designated as a "Proxy Approver" will not receive notifications but are able, not required, to approve student documents in ARCS - when needed - on behalf of the Approver and members of students' advisory committees. Note: The Graduate and Professional School recommends designating at least one "Proxy Approver" for DPSS documents; Proxy Approvers must be members of the Graduate Committee Faculty.
AdobeSign
Please note: AdobeSign replaced DocuSign for approval of certain graduate student documents as of 1 September 2023.Please indicate the faculty and/or staff member(s) authorized to provide their e-signatures on documents processed through the AdobeSign.
- Those designated as a "Pre-Approver" are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of documents and contacts submitted through AdobeSign before approval.
- Administrative faculty member(s) designated an "Approver" will be authorized to approve all documents for the program submitted through AdobeSign. Note: When a form is initiated by a student, program staff, or the Graduate and Professional School, only one Approver may be included in the approval workflow.
Graduate Student Records
- Please indicate the faculty and/or staff who should have access to student documents uploaded to ImageNow/TAMUDocs.
- Faculty and 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.
- Please indicate the staff member(s) to whom all regular graduate document correspondence should be directed. Note: If no one is specified, correspondence for the College/School, Department, or Interdisciplinary Degree Program will automatically be sent to the Dean, Department Head, or Program Chair.
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.
These competitions require a two-step approval process. After the Staff Pre-Approver submits a nomination, it will require the designated GOC Dean’s approval. It will then be forward for formal review by the Graduate and Professional School. Please be sure to designate the following:
- “Enter/View Nominations” enables the designated user to submit (but not approve) nominations in the InfoReady website and view the College or School’s active and approved nomination. Note: Both faculty and staff members may submit nominations; if a staff member is designated as a “Staff Pre-Approver,” no faculty member is required to be marked for that role.
- The “Approver” will receive notifications and have access to approve nominations in the InfoReady website.
English Language Proficiency Compliance
Please indicate the faculty and/or staff who should are able to submist and approve English Language Proficiency-related documents (ELP Waivers for Admission, Alternative Verfication/Certification, Emergency Deferral Request forms, etc.) to ELPCompliance-related issues (such as international graduate assistant employment, etc.)
- Administrative faculty and/or staff members marked as "Submit/Contact" will be able to submit ELP documents to the Graduate and Professional School and serve as the designated contact person(s) for ELP-related questions.
- Administrative faculty members designated as a "Approver" will be able to approve ELP-related documents.
Non-Resident Tuition Waivers
Please indicate the designated staff contact(s) who are able to answer questions regarding non-resident tuition waivers.- Administrative faculty and/or staff members marked as "Submit/Contact" will be able to submit non-resident tuition waivers to the Graduate and Professional School and swerve as the designated contact person for the College/School, Department, or Interdisciplinary Degree Program.
- Administrative faculty members designated as a "Approver" will be required to approve non-resident tutition waivers.