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Ph.D. Annual Reporting Policy

GSLIS has an annual reporting policy through which doctoral students have an opportunity to review their progress and plan their future activities. The deadline for written annual reports will be established each year by the DSC, although normally it will fall on May 1. In preparation for this deadline, the student is responsible for taking the following steps.

1. The student puts together an Advisory Committee.
   The student's Major Advisor chairs the committee. In consultation with his or her Advisor the student identifies one other faculty member to serve on the annual review. Annual Review Committee membership may change from year to year. Members may be drawn from faculty whose courses the student took during the previous academic year; faculty with whom the student has been consulting, particularly about research; or, if established, from members of the Advisory Committee (at coursework or examination stage), Preliminary Examination Committee (at proposal stage) or Dissertation Committee (at dissertation stage).

   Students in their first year of the program should use their first Annual Review to discuss the composition of their three person Advisory Committee. Advisory Committee members are available year round to discuss coursework, examination preparation, and dissertation direction.

2. The student prepares the written annual report.
   The annual report includes the following items:

   • a current curriculum vitae (including information such as education, work experience, teaching experience, publications, and presentations);
   • a list of all courses taken and milestones met to date in the doctoral program at GSLIS, including those taken in other units on campus. This information is recorded on a standard checklist (view the checklist in PDF form or the checklist in Microsoft Word);
   • a statement that outlines the progress made over the past year and describes the student's projected plans for the next year.
   • Note: Those doctoral students who matriculated before Fall 2004 under the former academic program and choose to complete their degree under this original program, will record their progress on the standard checklist #2 (view the checklist in PDF form or the checklist in Microsoft Word);
   
   

   Students with questions about the content of these reports should confer with their Major Advisor.

3. The student sets up a meeting with the Annual Review Committee.
   The student arranges a time, usually in April, for a meeting with the two members of the Annual Review committee. As decided with the committee, the student provides the committee with a copy of their annual report before or at that meeting. After the meeting, the student provides a copy to the office for deposit with their student files.

At this point, the responsibility for the process shifts to the committee. The meeting will serve as a chance to discuss issues that arise from the report and will give the committee members and opportunity to offer advice on how the student might best progress.

The meeting will have one of two outcomes: satisfactory or unsatisfactory . Factors used to assess progress may include grades, successful completion of the comprehensive exam, development of the specialty portfolio, or progress towards completion of the dissertation. A satisfactory outcome requires no additional action on the part of the committee.

In the event of an unsatisfactory outcome, the committee will produce a list of activities that the student is required to complete in order to receive a satisfactory result at the next annual review. For the student's benefit, a timetable will be established for periodic review of the successful achievement of those activities. After a second consecutive unsatisfactory next annual review, the Advisory Committee and the DSC may recommend to the Dean that the student's continuation in the doctoral program be terminated at the end of the academic year.

In either case, the student's Major Adviser will issue a brief written report to the DSC on the outcome of the meeting and any recommendation made on the part of the committee. One copy of this report is placed in the student's folder and one copy goes to the student.

Students can appeal to the Dean at any point in this process. In addition, they may make use of the grievance procedure of the Graduate College. Details are available at: http://www.grad.uiuc.edu/grievepolicies/GrievancePolicies.html.