Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology (NEP)
Washington State University
Administrative Home: Elson S Floyd College of Medicine
Last Revised: October 11, 2018
Faculty Senate Approval Date: November 1, 2018
Mission and Objectives
Graduate Degrees Offered
MS NEP Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CPD) (nonthesis), MS NEP (thesis), and PhD NEP.
Description of the Department
The Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology (NEP) combines study in human nutrition, exercise physiology and biological sciences along with population, social and psychological sciences. Opportunities for research and applied, practical experiences are the core of the instructional methods for both undergraduate and graduate students.
Mission of the Department
The Department of NEP seeks to promote the health of individuals and communities through research, teaching, and service activities in human nutrition and exercise physiology, and the application of these sciences in academic, clinical, public health, and industry settings.
Objectives of the Department
To train and prepare students for professional roles in promoting the optimum health and wellness of individuals and diverse communities through the application and integration of nutrition, dietetics, and exercise education, research and service;
To conduct advanced research in areas related to nutrition and exercise physiology and mentor junior researchers who will become future thought leaders in the field; and
To prepare students for professional credentialing in health care vocations with emphasis in nutrition and dietetics, exercise physiology, health promotion, disease prevention and related specialties.
Membership
Graduate Faculty in NEP must be WSU tenured or tenure track faculty, WSU nontenure track faculty, or WSU adjunct or affiliate faculty, subject to the limitations and definitions in this document. All Graduate Faculty must be approved as having ‘Graduate Faculty Status’ through the process outlined in section Application for Membership.
WSU Campus Participation
The MS and PhD degrees in NEP are offered at the Washington State University – Health Sciences Spokane campus. The campuses at Pullman, Vancouver, and Tri-Cities support this program but are not approved and authorized to directly advertise and offer the degree as individual campuses.
Approved tenured, tenure track, and non-tenure track NEP Graduate Faculty at all regional campuses, agricultural extension sites, and other affiliated university sites may participate equally in the NEP Graduate Program as supporting site faculty with full program rights and responsibilities. As such they are entitled to act as Chair, co-Chair, or member of graduate student committees; offer and teach graduate courses; and supervise student led research. However, only a NEP faculty member residing on the Spokane Campus may serve as Graduate Program Director.
Graduate Faculty Participation
Graduate Faculty participation in NEP is independent of academic department, school, or college affiliation.
All active members of the NEP Graduate Faculty are eligible to vote on Graduate Program issues.
Disciplinary Expertise
Graduate Faculty members within NEP are expected to have an MS, PhD, or other appropriate master- or doctoral-level degree in a field related to NEP. In addition, they must have demonstrated disciplinary expertise in a field related to such degrees, interest and experience in mentoring and teaching of graduate students in this field, and relevant professional accomplishments. All committee members must hold a degree of comparable level to the degree sought by the candidate.
Active Research Appropriate to NEP
NEP Graduate Faculty members must be actively involved in research related to nutrition and/or exercise physiology as evidenced by recent external grant or contract support, related peer-reviewed publications within the last 5 years, graduate student mentoring within the last 5 years, teaching of relevant graduate level courses, participation in graduate program activities, or other relevant professional accomplishments.
Non-Tenure Track Graduate Faculty
Internal to WSU
Non-tenure track Graduate Faculty members internal to WSU include research, clinical, and affiliate faculty. The non-tenure track faculty internal to WSU may be active NEP Graduate Faculty and entitled to vote on Graduate Program issues and act as graduate student’s co-Chair or member of graduate student committees; offer and teach graduate courses; and supervise research. When serving as co-Chair of a student committee they must work with a tenured or tenure-track faculty member who is also an active member of the NEP Graduate Faculty. Note that faculty internal to WSU that have primary appointments in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine are considered Interdisciplinary faculty and do not need to have affiliate appointments. Affiliate appointments are required for faculty internal to WSU that have primary appointments outside of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.
External to WSU
Professionals who are not WSU faculty may participate as Graduate Faculty within the NEP Graduate Program if they are officially approved as Adjunct faculty for WSU. Adjunct faculty who are approved as active NEP Graduate Faculty are entitled to vote on Graduate Program issues; act as a member of graduate student committees; offer and teach graduate courses; and supervise research. They may not serve as student’s committee Chair or co-Chair; or Graduate Program Director.
External Individual Committee Members
Individuals from WSU who are not officially participating as Graduate Faculty within the NEP Graduate Program (for example, a faculty member from another WSU department or program) may serve on graduate committees if they are a member of the Graduate Faculty in their own program or discipline and their committee appointment is approved by the student’s committee chair and the NEP Graduate Program Director.
Individuals not officially participating as Graduate Faculty within any graduate program at WSU (for example, a faculty member from another university or research entity) may be approved to serve as a graduate committee member for an individual student on a case-by-case basis. The student’s committee Chair should forward the name and curriculum vitae of the desired committee member to the NEP Graduate Program Director. With approval of the NEP Graduate Program Director and Department Chair, the nomination (with accompanying CV or other documentation of expertise) is forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate School for final approval.
Application for Membership
NEP Graduate Faculty listed in Section VIII of this document can be self-nominated or included by request by other active NEP Graduate Faculty upon approval by the NEP Graduate Program Director and the Dean of the Graduate School. All faculty must meet the qualifications for Graduate Faculty participation as stated in this document. All candidates for NEP Graduate Faculty status will be presented to the full NEP graduate faculty during a regular faculty meeting by the department chair for review and approval by simply majority vote.
New hires are expected to contribute to the graduate program and will become members of the NEP Graduate Faculty upon recommendation and subsequent approval as noted in item Application for Membership.
In addition to a commitment to maintain the highest standards of mentoring for graduate students, anticipated contributions or qualifications of all NEP Graduate Faculty include one or more of the following:
- History of or potential for an active, funded research program that can plausibly be relied upon as the source of continuing support of a NEP graduate student.
- History of or willingness to participate as appropriate in administrative, teaching, and other functions of the NEP Graduate Program. This may include serving on Graduate Program administrative committees; serving as a student’s committee member or Chair; providing graduate level instruction; or participating in Graduate Program activities (e.g., recruiting, admissions).
- History of publication of peer-reviewed manuscripts in a discipline related to NEP.
Continuation of Active Membership
Membership in the NEP Graduate Program will be reviewed for continuation of active membership during the annual faculty review process by either the Chair of NEP (internal faculty) or by special review by the NEP Graduate Program Director (external faculty), the latter occurring every 2 years. Any changes in membership will be communicated to the Graduate School, at least on an annual basis. Graduate Faculty will be evaluated for contributions to graduate mentoring, research, and teaching, including the following:
- Chair, co-Chair, or member of graduate student committees in NEP.
- Teaching or co-teaching a graduate course in NEP.
- Supervising research for graduate students in NEP.
- Serving in the administrative and committee structure of NEP.
Faculty who do not make any of the contributions to the NEP Graduate Program for two consecutive years as stated in Continuation of Active Membership will be designated as inactive Graduate Faculty. Inactive Graduate Faculty do not have voting rights, and they will not be able to participate in the NEP Graduate Program. Initiation of any of the activities described in Continuation of Active Membership will result in restoration of active NEP Graduate Faculty designation.
Discontinuation of Membership
Upon request of an active or inactive NEP Graduate Faculty member, their individual membership may be discontinued. If that individual’s appointment or research and graduate training activity should change, they may reapply for NEP Graduate Faculty participation at any time.
Membership Appeal Process
Faculty appeal of any membership decision in the NEP Graduate Program must be made in writing to the NEP Graduate Program Director within 30 calendar days of the decision. The appeal is determined by a majority vote of all NEP Graduate Faculty (see definition of quorum). Final written appeal may be made to the Dean of the Graduate School within 30 calendar days of the Graduate Faculty vote.
Administration
Overall Structure
Administration of the NEP Graduate Program and its activities is vested in the Chair of NEP with advice from the NEP Graduate Program Director and NEP Graduate Program Advisory Committee.
Graduate Program Director
The NEP Graduate Program Director will be appointed by the Chair of NEP. The Graduate Program Director must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member approved to Chair MS and PhD student committees, ideally at the minimum rank of Associate Professor. However, tenure-track faculty at the rank of Assistant Professor may serve as the Graduate Program Director with prior experience in graduate education as determined by service on student committees as Chair, co-Chair, or member, advising / mentoring role in student publication, and course work in graduate courses. Final approval of the Graduate Program Director resides with the Dean of the Graduate School who will be notified when a new Graduate Program Director is appointed.
The Graduate Program Director shall serve a term of 2 years and is eligible for re-appointment if nominated to continue in this position in accordance within the terms of the initial appointment and with final approval as described in overall structure.
The Graduate Program Director may be removed from office by a majority vote of all active NEP Graduate Faculty and with the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School.
Duties of the Graduate Program Director
- Chair and convene meetings of the Graduate Programs Advisory Committee.
- Work in conjunction with the Graduate Academic Advisor / Coordinator to serve as administrative contacts for students interested in or enrolled in the NEP graduate program.
- Refer potential graduate students to the NEP Academic Coordinator, who serves as the primary contact for students who wish to enroll in any NEP degree program.
- Work with the Advisory Committee to develop and implement policies for the NEP Graduate Program.
- Call and preside at meetings of the Graduate Faculty of NEP as necessary.
- Submit recommendations to the Chair regarding the Graduate Program policies, with input from the Advisory Committee.
- Provide feedback to the NEP Chair regarding the student advising and support services as they relate to the NEP Graduate Program.
Graduate Program Advisory Committee
The NEP Graduate Program Advisory Committee coordinates and advises the Graduate Program Director in administering the NEP Graduate Program.
The Committee shall be composed of at least 3 but no more than 5 active NEP Graduate Faculty, including the Graduate Program Director, with representation from thesis and non-thesis options of the NEP Graduate programs to appropriately reflect faculty membership.
The Committee members will be appointed by the NEP Chair. The NEP Graduate Faculty may nominate individuals for committee membership.
Members of the Advisory Committee will serve 2-year terms.
Areas in which the Advisory Committee shall assist and advise the Graduate Program Director include:
- Review, develop and update long-range goals for the NEP Graduate Program and plans for their attainment. These ideas shall be presented at least once annually to a meeting of all NEP faculty.
- Provide input on curriculum, course scheduling, admissions process, recruitment, graduate scholarships, handling of student progress issues and faculty mentoring.
- Coordinate the review of research-track graduate student (MS NEP [thesis] and PhD NEP) progress on an annual basis (and more frequently as needed for individual cases), and provide recommendations to the NEP Chair. The review of MS NEP CPD students will be undertaken by the Director of the CPD.
- Review and address graduate student grievances and/or suggestions relating to the NEP Graduate Program.
- Serve as a sounding board for new ideas, changes, etc., in academic or administrative issues.
- Provide guidance on administration of the NEP Graduate Program.
- Nominate members for service on other committees.
- Assist with the NEP Graduate Program assessment process.
Interaction with other NEP Committees
The Department of NEP has standing Admissions and Curriculum committees. These committees are responsible for the recommendation, review, and revision of policies related to and affecting student admission into the various NEP degree (both undergraduate and graduate) programs. Issues related to appointment, service, and function of these committees are similar to those described in NEP Graduate Program Advisory Committee, although these standing NEP committees are pertinent to all NEP undergraduate and graduate programs. Other ad hoc committees may be appointed by the NEP Chair as needed. Addition of new, or changes to the existing, standing committees must be approved by amendment of the bylaws. The NEP Academic Coordinator works in conjunction with the faculty on advisement and progress issues affecting students in the various NEP degree programs.
Graduate Student Committee Requirements
Committee structure for students in the research tracks will consist of a Chair and at least two additional committee members at the MS (thesis) level and three additional committee members at the PhD level. Committee structure for students in the MS CPD (non-thesis) professional degree program will consist of a predetermined faculty advisory committee and used for an entire cohort of entering students. The Director of the CPD serves as the Chair for each CPD student advisory committee, along with any two CPD-specific faculty; all members of the advisory committee will also be approved as NEP Graduate Program Faculty.
The initial selection, or subsequent changes, to a graduate student’s committee shall be determined jointly by the student and Chair, with final approval from the NEP Graduate Program Director. In accordance with the Policies and Procedures of the Graduate School at WSU, graduate students are not permitted to serve on the committees of other graduate students.
The Chair of a student’s committee shall be any active NEP Graduate Program Faculty member, at or above the level of Assistant Professor (tenure-track), with a primary appointment either within or outside of NEP. NEP Graduate Program Faculty in non-tenure track lines (e.g., Clinical faculty) may not serve as the Chair but may serve as the co-Chair, as long as a tenured or tenure-track faculty member (with primary appointment either within or outside of NEP) also serves on the committee and agrees to serve as the co-Chair (i.e., provide mentoring to the Clinical faculty). The Chair will be responsible for supervising the overall progress of his or her graduate student through the program, including all administrative aspects including paperwork, signatures, adherence to Graduate School Policies, and committee composition. In addition, the Chair will handle any conflict issues, such as disagreements among committee members as to the scope of a student’s research topic. In sum, at least one member of the MS committee and two members of the PhD committee must be tenured/tenure track and have NEP Graduate Program Faculty status.
As specified in the Graduate School’s Policies and Procedures, the performance of each graduate student shall be reviewed annually.
At the discretion of the NEP Department Chair and Graduate Program Coordinator, student representation may be added or deleted from any committee structure.
Graduate Faculty Meetings
The NEP Graduate Program Director shall call NEP Graduate Faculty meetings as needed, but at least once per academic year. All attempts will be made to provide a written agenda in advance.
Other meetings may be called at the discretion of the Graduate Program Director or the Advisory Committee.
A special meeting of NEP Graduate Program Faculty may be called by petition from the majority of Graduate Faculty members.
Efforts will be made to communicate items of interest, including notification of a faculty meeting, to the faculty via e-mail. General NEP Graduate Program Faculty meetings shall be called with a minimum of 1-week notice.
Faculty not present on the Spokane campus at the time of a general NEP Graduate Program Faculty meeting may participate by videoconferencing or telephone conference call.
Quorum
Unless otherwise specified, a quorum for purposes of voting and other decision making is defined as follows:
- For all general graduate faculty meetings and votes unless otherwise indicated, a quorum shall be defined as a minimum of 50 percent of the Program membership.
- For programmatic committees to conduct a business meeting, a quorum shall be defined as a minimum of 50 percent of the committee membership.
- Unless otherwise indicated, a simple majority of the total number of ballots cast are required to pass a motion.
- In the event of a tie vote in which the entire graduate faculty is eligible to vote, the Department Chair will decide the outcome of the vote. For tie votes that occur within programmatic committees, the committee chair will decide the outcome of the vote.
Amendments to Graduate Program Bylaws
The Graduate Program Bylaws shall be reviewed every fifth year by the Advisory Committee and annually by the Graduate Program Director.
Amendments to the Bylaws may originate from any eligible NEP Graduate Faculty member. Proposed amendments must be forwarded to the NEP Advisory Committee and Graduate Program Director. After discussion, amendments shall be forwarded to the NEP Graduate Faculty electronically at least 2 weeks prior to the faculty meeting at which the amendments will be discussed. After discussion, a minimum 2-week period will follow the faculty meeting prior to vote. Votes on amendments may occur at a faculty meeting or electronically. Amendments to the NEP Bylaws require a positive vote from the majority of all active NEP Graduate Faculty.
All amendments and revisions must be submitted to the Graduate Studies Committee for review and final approval.
List of Graduate Faculty Participants
The list of current NEP Graduate Faculty entitled to full rights and responsibilities of active Graduate Faculty membership are shown in the table.
The NEP Graduate Program Director is responsible for submitting an updated list of active and inactive NEP Graduate Program Faculty participants to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval annually.
NEP Graduate Program Faculty, by Status and Participation Level
| Name | Terminal Degree* | Faculty Status | Participation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ofer Amram | PhD | Tenure Track in Program | Chair |
| Franck Carbonero | PhD | Tenure Track in Program | Chair |
| Naomi Chaytor | PhD | Tenure Track in Other Program, Interdisciplinary | Chair |
| April D Davis | PhD | Non-Tenure Track in Program | Co-Chair |
| Min Du | PhD | Tenure Track in Other Program, Interdisciplinary | Chair |
| Glen Duncan | PhD | Tenure Track in Program | Chair |
| Hans Haverkamp | PhD | Tenure Track in Program | Chair |
| Lisa Heneghen | MS | Non-Tenure Track in Program | Co-Chair |
| Catherine Jarrett | PhD | Tenure Track in Program | Chair |
| Robert Lutz | MD | Adjunct or Affiliate | N/A |
| Michael McDonnel | PhD | Tenure Track in Other Program, Interdisciplinary | Chair |
| Pablo Monsivais | PhD | Tenure Track in Program | Chair |
| John Roll | PhD | Tenure Track in Other Program, Interdisciplinary | Chair |
| Carolyn Ross | PhD | Tenure Track in Other Program, Interdisciplinary | Chair |
| Namrata Sanjeevi | PhD | Non-Tenure Track in Program | Co-Chair |
| Joseph Sharkey | PhD | Adjunct or Affiliate | N/A |
| Patrick Solverson | PhD | Tenure Track in Program | Chair |
| Hans Van Dongen | PhD | Tenure Track in Other Program, Interdisciplinary | Chair |
| Meijun Zhu | PhD | Tenure Track in Other Program, Adjunct or Affiliate | Co-Chair |