Graduate chairs serve as the liaison between the Graduate Division and graduate programs. They are nominated through their department/graduate program determined procedures, recommended for the appointment by their college/school Dean and then appointed by the Graduate Dean. Graduate chair nominees must be tenured and hold a Level 3 graduate faculty appointment in their home graduate program.
The duties and responsibilities of the Graduate Chair include, but are not limited to:
- regularly updating and maintaining a list of program graduate faculty,
- responding to questions and requests for program information,
- coordinating the admissions process of applicants to the program,
- maintaining files for each graduate student,
- helping to identify potential advisors for students, scheduling preliminary
advising, and handling other advising-related business with students, - annually orienting new students and new graduate faculty to the program
- checking that students are enrolled in each semester if not on a Leave of
Absence (LOA), - serving as a resource to help students and faculty to resolve concerns,
conflicts, and other issues, - coordinate and schedule qualifying examinations (written and oral),
- serving as liaison between the program, the Graduate Division, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and
any other such agencies with which the graduate program may interact, - serving on the Graduate Assembly,
- scheduling and conducting graduate faculty and program meetings,
- coordinating and facilitating reviews and updates to the curriculum and the
program modification process, - publicizing the availability of achievement scholarships and other funding
opportunities, - tracking degree progress (for doctoral students only)
- reviewing and signing all official forms and memos required by the
Graduate Division, and - certifying final degree checks.