Administrative Plan

[Section VII of the Request for Approval to Establish the program, approved by the UNC Board of Governors, November 2004.]

The Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media program will be administered by a Director, an Associate Director, and a governing committee (see Program Committee below) drawn from the departments of Communication and English.

Core Program Faculty as well as Affiliated Faculty will deliver the curriculum. Coordination between the program, the college, and the two major contributing departments will be accomplished by a Coordinating Committee consisting of the Program Director, the two Department Heads, and the CHASS Associate Dean for Research.

Director

The Director is recommended by the Program Committee from among its members and is appointed by the Dean in consultation with department heads of Communication and English for a 3-year term, alternating between the Communication and English departments. The Director reports to the Dean and is assisted by an Associate Director (see below) and a part-time staff assistant housed in the CHASS Dean’s Office. The Director will be the first academic advisor for incoming students and the primary point of contact with the Graduate School and with applicants.

The Director will consult regularly with the Heads and Directors of Graduate Programs in both English and Communication regarding course offerings, faculty schedules, and TA appointments. Service in this position will be made a part of the Director’s Professional Development Plan approved by his or her department head. The budget includes requested funds to provide the Director with a one-course teaching reduction each semester, as well for the half-time program assistant.

Program Committee

A Program Committee consisting of three members from Communication and three from English will be elected by the Program Faculty to 3-year staggered terms. The Program Committee will handle recruiting, admissions, TA appointments, appointments to the Program Faculty, decisions about course offerings, and appointments of student advisory/dissertation committees. The Director will chair the Program Committee. One member of the Program Committee will be recommended by the members and appointed by the dean as Associate Director, who will substitute for the Director in his or her absence and succeed the Director.

Program Core Faculty

Appointments to the Program Core Faculty will be made by the Program Committee from the full and associate graduate faculty in the Departments of English and Communication based on expressed interest, research and scholarship capabilities in relevant areas, and ability to teach core courses and courses in the disciplinary areas. The initial Program Core Faculty, listed in Section IV, have been designated by the Planning Committee in consultation with the department heads. Program faculty will teach core courses, direct dissertations, serve on committees, and elect the Program Committee. Additional faculty may apply at any time for membership in the Program Faculty or be invited to apply.

Program Affiliated Faculty

Graduate faculty in English, Communication, and other departments with allied interests may be designated as Affiliated Faculty; they will serve on advisory/dissertation committees and teach elective courses. Such faculty may apply or be invited to apply by the Program Committee, which will approve such applications.