The purpose of this procedure is to administer Institutional Policy E-31: Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA).
This procedure applies to all WVSOM students and the WVSOM Graduate Teaching Assistant ("GTA")program.
WVSOM reserves the right to amend this procedure at any time, as necessary or appropriate.
Applicability of dates. Any date set forth in this procedure that falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or WVSOM recognized holiday where the institution is officially closed shall, in any calendar year, be considered to fall on the next WVSOM business day.
All requests for new or additional GTA positions shall be handled according to the following timeline and process:
By July 1, the GTA Program Director and the appropriate Department Chairperson shall submit a written request to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean ("VP/Dean") for any new or additional GTA position(s) for the next academic year, justifying the need for the position(s) and the benefit to WVSOM.
By July 15, the VP/Dean shall review the request and shall make a recommendation for any new or additional GTA position(s) to the President.
By July 30, the President shall determine whether the requested GTA position(s) will be submitted
The GTA programs and positions available each year shall be determined on the basis of program merit to student education, potential service to the program, and inclusion of the position in the approved WVSOM budget.
In order to apply for a GTA position, a student must first successfully complete all course work up to the time of application. A student may not apply if he or she is classified as Academically-At-Risk Category 2.
Students who hold uniformed services scholarships do not qualify for the GTA program.
If selected for a GTA position, the student must pass COMLEX Level 1 prior to the beginning of his or her GTA service.
Students who do not meet the prerequisites under Section 5.1 above or do not qualify for the GTA program under Section 5.2 above will not be considered as applicants for purposes of this procedure regardless of application submission.
The application form for the WVSOM GTA program shall be the same for all disciplines and shall be reviewed and approved by the GTA Program Directors on a regular basis.
The applicant shall include on the application form a statement of his or her reason for application and a grant of permission for the GTA selection committee to review all of the applicant's institutional files.
Each Program Director, appropriate Department Chairperson, and appropriate Associate Dean shall decide annually who shall constitute the GTA selection committee, what criteria will be used for GTA selection, and what specific selection process will be used that is consistent with this procedure
In ranking each applicant pursuant to Section 6.3.8 below, each GTA selection committee shall consider, at a minimum, the following criteria:
The applicant's statement of reason for application;
The applicant's overall performance in the WVSOM curriculum;
The applicant's performance in the desired discipline;
The evaluation of the applicant's interview;
Evidence of the applicant's desire to teach, conduct research, and/or deliver service; and
The applicant's compatibility with the planned teaching, research, and/or service programs of the discipline, department, and institution.
Recruitment and selection of students for available GTA programs and positions shall be handled according to the following timeline and process:
By July 23, each GTA Program Director of funded GTA positions shall inform the Associate Dean for Preclinical Education of his or her intention to recruit students into his or her available GTA positions .
By August 3, the Associate Dean for Preclinical Education shall inform the appropriate Associate Dean(s) of each GTA Program Director's intent to fill available positions.
By August 8, the appropriate Associate Dean(s) shall inform the Associate Dean for Preclinical Education of whether he or she supports the recruitment of GTAs into available positions in disciplines that are under his or her authority.
By August 8, the Associate Dean for Preclinical Education shall notify all Year 2 students of the available GTA positions and provide them with a copy of the general WVSOM GTA Program Description.
By August 25, each GTA Program Director shall recruit students into his or her available GTA positions.
By September 8 at 4:30p.m., each student's GTA position application must be submitted to and received by the Office of the Associate Dean for Preclinical Education. Applications that are not received by the Office of the Associate Dean for Preclinical Education by the above deadline will not be considered.
By September 9, the Associate Dean for Preclinical Education shall determine whether each student submitting an application meets the prerequisites set forth in Section 5 above and whether each application is complete. A student that meets the prerequisites and timely submits a completed application will be considered an "applicant". The Associate Dean for Preclinical Education shall inform all GT A Program Directors of all applicants for all available GTA positions.
From September 13 through September 23, each GTA selection committee shall interview each applicant for its respective program, review each applicant's academic record, obtain or accept additional relevant information concerning each applicant (if applicable), and rank each applicant in order of selection based on the criteria set forth in Section 6.2 above. If a GTA selection committee determines that no applicant should be selected for its respective GTA program, the GTA Program Director shall notify the VP/Dean, who shall determine if those funded, but unfilled, GTA positions should be assigned to another discipline or remain unfilled for that academic year.
By September 25, all GTA Program Directors shall submit all final GTA position selection rankings to the Associate Dean for Preclinical Education.
From September 25 through September 28, the Associate Dean for Preclinical Education shall meet with all GTA Program Directors to discuss final selections and negotiate any overlaps in ranking for students applying to more than one program.
By September 29, the Associate Dean for Preclinical Education shall submit all final ranked GTA selections to the VP/Dean.
By October 7, the VP/Dean shall recommend any GTA selections for employment to the President.
By October 14, the President shall approve or deny each of the recommended GTA applicants for employment and shall notify the VP/Dean of his or her decisions. The VP/Dean shall send letters of selection to those recommended applicants approved by the President, and shall forward copies of the letters to the GTA Program Directors, Department Chairpersons, appropriate Associate Deans, the Vice President for Finance and Facilities, and the Associate Vice President of Human Resources.
By December 23, the Office of Human Resources shall prepare contracts of employment and send them to the selected GTA applicants for signature. Upon receipt of the signed contracts, the Office of Human Resources shall send a copy of the signed contracts to the Vice President for Finance and Facilities.