3.3 Committee Assignment
Committee members are faculty or experts in the field that support the students work on the thesis. Students work with the program director to find the most appropriate committee members to support their research project. The committee is composed of a Chair and a Reader. Their roles are described below as is the process for finding and selecting committee members.
Committee Chair
The chair must have content knowledge of the area under investigation for the thesis. For example, if the thesis is on schizophrenia then the chair must have extensive knowledge of schizophrenia. The chair is either a part-time or full-time faculty member at CLU and is chosen with the approval of the Program Director, Dr. Bedics. There can be exceptions to the above criteria with the approval of Dr. Bedics.
Committee Reader
The reader must have either content knowledge or expert methodological knowledge of the area under investigation for the thesis. For example, if the thesis is on schizophrenia and utilizes an experimental design then the reader can either have knowledge of schizophrenia or knowledge of the experimental methods proposed. The reader can be a part-time or full-time faculty member at CLU or a professional in the community with at least a Master’s degree that has the aforementioned expertise. The reader must be chosen with approval of Program Director and thesis Committee Chair. There can be exceptions to the above criteria with the approval of the Program Director.
3.3.1 Finding a Committee
For many faculty, being on a thesis committee is a lot of work and they are often reluctant to agree to help students. Consequently, how students choose to approach faculty is very critical. Please consider these guidelines and talk to Dr. Bedics prior to reaching out to potential committee members.
1. Identifying Potential Faculty
Search the CLU website for potential faculty that could contribute to your idea. Look at faculty interests in graduate psychology, undergraduate psychology, as well as other departments at CLU. Students could also identify faculty at other universities that might serve on the committee. Once identified, students should email Dr. Bedics to discuss.
2. Foot-in-the-Door
Students first introduce themselves to faculty through email. Do not ask them to join your committee in the first email. Instead, ask them if they have time to answer questions about your project. If they don’t have time or incentive to do this then they will not be willing to be on your committee. The foot-in-the-door strategy also allows students to get feedback from the person even if they are not willing to be on students’ committee.
Here is a properly formatted and professional email using the foot-in-the-door strategy:
Dear Dr. ###,
My name is
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
First Name Last Name
If they reply, and are positive, then you it is your responsibility to be flexible with your time. Also, please never ask for an appointment in the same week.
3. Requesting Committee Membership – If the initial meeting goes well then Dr. Bedics will email the faculty member to discuss the role of the Chair and Reader.
4. Working with your committee
The committee will be most successful when students establish clear expectations for meeting with their committee members. Clearly established expectations will prevent students from emailing too little or too much. It is best to suggest fewer meetings at first, perhaps one at the beginning and one at the end of the semester. You will have more meetings with your chair than your reader. Establish the following:
Make a clear statement that you are respectful of their time and do not want to meet too much or too little. Faculty often appreciate such direct and respectful statements.
Suggest two meetings a semester and go from there. They might suggest more or a timeline based upon other criteria.
Due: June 30th, Summer after First Year