Administration
The PiE2 Faculty are responsible for administering the Program as set forth in the
following structure of committees and policies, except those responsibilities specifically
delegated to the Director.
1. Director
The Program Director serves at the discretion of the Vice President for Academic Affairs
and the PiE2 Faculty. The Director will be nominated by the PiE2 Faculty based on
a majority vote of a quorum of PiE2 Faculty. The PiE2 Faculty will forward their recommendation
to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for appointment. The Director will serve
a three-year, renewable term, and is bound to the principles and policies as set forth
in this document. The Director supervises the Program and its committees, chairs the
meetings of the Program Faculty and Affiliates, and represents the Program to the
central administration of the University. For detailed responsibilities of the Director
see Appendix A.
The Director and the Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Education (or designated
representative) will meet at least once per year with the Heads of all participating
departments and Deans of all participating colleges, to facilitate direct communication
between the Program and the participating academic units.
2. Membership
The Program in Ecology and Evolution Faculty consists of faculty members and academic
professionals at the University of Wyoming who are active researchers in the discipline
of ecology and evolution (Appendix A). PiE2 Faculty members can advise doctoral students
in the Program, vote at PiE2 Faculty meetings, and serve on PiE2 standing and ad hoc
committees. PiE2 Affiliates can co-advise doctoral students together with a PiE2 Faculty
member, attend and participate (without voting) in PiE2 Faculty meetings, and serve
on PiE2 ad hoc committees (Appendix A). Affiliates may include UW faculty members
and academic professionals who work in fields closely related to ecology and/or evolution,
and doctoral-level scientists from other institutions and agencies who are collaborating
with PiE2 Faculty members. Applications and associated materials (credentials and
representative publications) for PiE2 Faculty and Affiliate status will be evaluated
by the PiE2 Steering Committee according to policies set in the Faculty Status document
(Appendix A).
3. The Committees of the Program
All meetings of the Committees of the PiE2 are open to Program Faculty, Affiliates,
graduate student representatives, and invited individuals. The sole exception consists
of those meetings or parts of meetings in which personnel are being evaluated, where
only Program Faculty members may attend. Members are selected for or elected to these
committees by the PiE2 Faculty members, and they in turn will select one of the committee
members to act as the chair of the committee. Each member (faculty and student) of
the following committees has one vote on matters before the committee, and all decisions
and recommendations will be reached on the basis of a simple majority vote as established
within the guidelines listed in the committee's operating policies, unless otherwise
specified. The Program Director will vote in the committees only in the case of a
tied vote. The actions of the Program's committees, when executing their charge in
accordance with their operating policy, do not require the approval of the Program
Committee. All decisions and recommendations must be communicated in written or electronic
form to the members of the Program Committee within five workdays.
a. Program Committee
The Program Committee serves as the committee of the whole of the PiE2 Faculty and
is chaired by the Program Director. This committee is responsible for governing the
PiE2 in accordance with the Bylaws established in this document. A quorum must be
in attendance in order to vote on any matter, although votes can be cast in absentia
as proxies. Proxy votes must be submitted to the Program Director prior to the meeting
in which the vote is to be taken. A quorum is defined as two-thirds of the Program
Committee. The Program Committee is composed of the PiE2 Faculty and the graduate
student representative. Each member of the PiE2 Faculty and the graduate student representative
has one vote on matters before the Program Committee, except as elsewhere specified.
The graduate student representative to the Program Committee will be elected by PiE2
graduate students, who will forward their nomination to the Director for appointment.
The graduate student representative may participate in discussions and vote in any
matter except those concerning personnel. Graduate student representatives to other
relevant Standing Committees will be elected by PiE2 graduate students, who will forward
their nominations to the Director for appointment. Members of the following Standing
Committees will be elected by majority vote of the Program Committee.
b. Steering Committee
The Steering Committee advises the Director in setting and implementing Program policies
and serves as the screening committee for evaluation of applications for Faculty and
Affiliate status in the program. The Steering Committee is bound by the Faculty Status
Policy in these evaluations. The Steering Committee meets twice a year, and more often
as needed.
The Steering Committee consists of five members, to include the PiE2 Director and
four PiE2 Faculty members elected by the PiE2 Program Committee. The Director serves
as Chair of the Steering Committee. Faculty serving on the Steering Committee must
represent at least three of the participating departments. With the exception of the
Program Director, Steering Committee members will serve staggered two-year terms.
c. Graduate Affairs Committee
The Graduate Affairs Committee screens graduate-student applicants to the Program,
Fellowships, and other competitive awards, and tracks the progress of graduate students
in the Program. The Committee will have authority to admit students into the Program
and will forward recommendations for Assistantships and Fellowships to the Program
Director.
The Graduate Affairs Committee consists of five members, representing at least three
of the participating departments. Graduate Affairs Committee members will serve staggered
two-year terms.
d. Seminar Committee
The Seminar Committee coordinates and schedules the PiE2 Seminar series. The Committee
works closely with its departmental counterparts (committees or individual coordinators)
in this regard.
The Seminar Committee consists of three PiE2 Faculty members and one graduate student
representative. The Faculty members will represent at least three departments. Seminar
Committee members will serve staggered two-year terms
e. Finance Committee
The finance committee will be responsible for allocating funds from the operational
budget to different programmatic activities (e.g., seminars, workshops, etc.), allocate
moneys to student travel based on pre-established criteria, assist PiE2 Director in
securing additional funds from the university, spearhead proposal writing efforts
(programmatic), and help launch and manage the endowment “PiE2 legacy fund” as well
as other funds.
The finance committee will be composed of PiE2 Treasurer (a student), two additional
PiE2 students, two PiE2 faculty, PiE2 director, the Program Coordinator, and the Accountant.
Faculty members of the committee will be elected by majority vote of the Program Committee,
student representatives will be elected by the student body. Except for the Director,
Administrative Assistant, and the Accountant, members will serve staggered two-year
terms.
Criteria for money allocation:
Programmatic activities will receive preference to individual student requests
Graduate assistantships will be allocated based on:
Program standing
Number of semesters of PiE2 assistantships received previously
Faculty advisor letter of support
Demonstrated teaching ability
Individual student travel requests will be allocated based on the following:
Student must actively participate in the conference, meeting, or workshop (i.e. poster,
presentation, or hands-on workshop).
Student must have cost-sharing- from faculty advisor, home department, college, Academic
Affairs, or other source.
Student must provide a breakdown of expenditures and funding sources, and the amount
requested of Program in Ecology and Evolution.
Only one travel funding request allowed per student per fiscal year, except when the
program has extra funds
In cases where funds will be limiting, preference will be given to students who participate
in PiE2 activities (events, meetings, presentations by fellow students, etc.), and
the number of previous awards received.
Recruitment funds (when available) will be allocated based on:
Number of previous grants received by the faculty member
Faculty participation in the program
f. Director Review Committee
The Director Review Committee shall evaluate the Director's performance in administering
the Program biennially, during odd/even academic years (e.g., 07/08). The Steering
Committee, excluding the Director, shall either assume the responsibilities of the
Director Evaluation Committee or appoint members to that Committee. The Committee
is composed of at least three faculty members representing at least three departments.
This Committee shall solicit input from all PiE2 Faculty members and graduate students
to assist in the evaluation. The Committee will submit their evaluation to the Vice
Provost of Graduate Education. The Director will meet with the Vice Provost of Graduate
Education to discuss the evaluation.
g. Curriculum Committee
The curriculum committee makes recommendations about changes to required coursework
for the program. The committee also makes recommendations for program assessment
and for programmatic criteria for assessment of individual students. The committee
has four members with representation from at least 2 colleges and 3 departments.
4. Program Policies
The administrative policies of the Program are established and modified by a two-thirds
majority vote of the Program Faculty members. The Program's policies, listed below,
are presented in Appendix A.
a. Faculty Status Policy
b. Graduate Affairs Policy
Adopted by an 11 (for) to 0 (against) vote of the Program in Ecology Faculty on Monday
11 April 2005. Latest revision spring 2025, approved September 2025.
Faculty Status Policy
Preamble
The PiE2 is centered on the science of ecology and evolution. This includes research
disciplines focused on organisms, communities, and ecosystem-level processes incorporating
ecological and evolutionary perspectives. Ecology and Evolution overlap with many
other disciplines in the biological, physical, and social sciences, and many scientists
whose research lies primarily in other areas may nevertheless do ecological or evolutionary
research and sponsor students pursuing research in ecology and evolution.
The Program aspires to maintain a culture of participation and intellectual engagement
by its faculty. All PiE2 Faculty members are expected to participate in its activities
and contribute to its objectives. Meaningful participation in the Program includes
contributing to graduate education (teaching and co-teaching courses, serving on graduate
committees, and mentoring individual students), assisting with curricular development
and Program governance, and actively contributing to the Program's intellectual community.
The latter contributions include but are not restricted to such activities as attending
Program-sponsored seminars and other events, hosting seminar speakers, serving as
guest lecturers or panelists in Program courses, serving on Program standing and ad
hoc committees, and assisting in fundraising efforts.
Faculty participants in PiE2 may take either of two forms: as a Program Faculty member,
or as a Program Affiliate. Program Faculty members include tenured or tenure-track
University of Wyoming faculty members and academic professionals who are active and
credentialed researchers whose research focus is centered in the field of ecology
and evolution. Program Affiliates comprise a broader category of participants, including
individuals who are not tenured or tenure-track UW faculty, or whose primary research
area relates to, but is primarily outside of, ecology and evolution. The Program Affiliate
category provides a means for broad participation in the Program by UW faculty and
academic professionals and by ecologists outside UW.
Program Faculty members may serve as Chairs of doctoral committees for students enrolled
in the Program in Ecology and Evolution. Program Faculty members may also participate
in all aspects of Program governance, including voting in the Program Committee and
Standing Committees, and serving as Director. Program Affiliates may serve as Co-Chairs
of doctoral committees for students in the Program in Ecology and Evolution; provided
a Program Faculty member agrees to serve as Chair. Program Affiliates are invited
to participate in Program meetings and activities but are not allotted a vote in Program
governance. Program Affiliates may serve on ad hoc committees as appropriate.
Program Faculty: Criteria for admission
Minimum criteria for admission to the Program Faculty include status as a tenured
or tenure-track Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor; status as
an extended-term-track or extended-term Academic Professional; or status as an Assistant
Research Professor, Associate Research Professor, or Research Professor at the University
of Wyoming. In addition, individuals seeking admission to the Program Faculty must
provide evidence of ongoing, scholarly work in the field of ecology and evolution,
as defined in the Preamble to this document and in our mission statement. It is expected
that the preponderance of research done by Program Faculty members be ecological or
have direct relevance for ecological science.
Individuals seeking Program Faculty status must be able to document nationally or
internationally recognized research that has advanced understanding of fundamental
and/or applied aspects of ecology and evolution. There should be evidence of quantitatively
substantial and qualitatively rigorous contributions to the field of ecology and evolution
in the context of the following criteria:
Primary standard (this benchmark must be clearly documented)
Publications:
Members of the Program Faculty are expected to have regularly published ecological
or evolutionary research in respected, peer-reviewed research journals, as evidenced
by a listing of publications (authors, titles, dates, and journals).
Secondary standards (at least one of these four benchmarks must be clearly met for
Assistant Professors and Academic Professionals, at least two for Associate Professors,
and at least three for Professors)
Grants & Contracts:
Securing of financial resources for ecological research from nationally competitive
funding sources, as evidenced by a listing of grants and contracts (investigators,
titles, dates, and funding agencies).
Courses:
Teaching of courses in the discipline of ecology and evolution, as evidenced by course
offerings (course titles, syllabi, and dates). Such teaching must include courses
that integrate ecological scholarship at an advanced level (e.g., advanced or graduate
courses and/or seminars).
Graduate Students:
Mentoring of graduate students who have conducted research directly relevant to the
science of ecology and evolution, as evidenced by ongoing or completed theses and
dissertations (authors, titles, and dates).
Professional Service:
Providing of leadership in the field of ecology and evolution, as evidenced by editorial
positions, elected offices in ecological societies, and/or service on review panels
or advisory committees (listing of positions, responsibilities, and affiliations).
Program Affiliates: Criteria for admission
Program Affiliates comprise a broader and more heterogeneous group than Program Faculty.
All Program Affiliates will possess a PhD or equivalent. All Program Affiliates must
demonstrate potential for contributing to graduate training in ecology and evolution,
and capacity for research in ecology and evolution or closely related fields. In addition
to these criteria, Program Affiliates must satisfy the criteria outlined in one or
more of the following tracks:
Track 1
Program Affiliates who are not members of the University of Wyoming faculty (e.g.,
scientists from other entities such as other universities, government agencies, or
private organizations) must (a) be sponsored by a Program Faculty member, and (b)
document research contributions in the field of ecology and evolution. Criteria for
judging the latter will be similar to those applied to Program Faculty.
Track 2
Tenured or tenure-track faculty members and academic professionals at the University
of Wyoming may participate as Program Affiliates based on documentation of their research
contributions to fields closely allied to ecology and evolution. Such fields may include
(but are not restricted to) systematics, genetics, evolutionary biology, physiology,
earth sciences, atmospheric sciences, statistics, mathematical modeling, economics,
and geographic information sciences.
Track 3
Typically, Track 3 Affiliates will be productive researchers in disciplines that overlap
with ecology and evolution and who are interested in co-sponsoring students in the
Program or otherwise contributing to Program activities.
Review of Applications
Individuals seeking to join the Program, either as Faculty members or as Affiliates,
should submit a letter of interest addressing the preceding points, together with
a full C.V. and copies of representative recent ecological publications, to the Program
Director. The letter of interest should specify whether the individuals seek to join
the Program as Faculty members or Affiliates. Applications received during the academic
year will be reviewed by the Steering Committee within one month. Applications received
during the summer may not be reviewed until the first month of the following Fall
semester. The Program Steering Committee will make all decisions regarding Faculty
and Affiliate acceptance into the Program.
Review of Faculty Status
Once admitted as a Program Faculty member or Affiliate, an individual retains this
standing for 5 years. At the end of each 5-year term, the individual must provide
evidence to the Program Steering Committee of continued productivity through a re-application
consisting of supporting documentation with regard to the stated standards. It is
generally expected that activities in the preceding 5 years will include advising
and mentoring graduate students in the Program and serving on PiE2 student committees.
Graduate Affairs Policy
Preamble:
The PiE2 is an interdisciplinary graduate program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy
degree in Ecology and Evolution. Students and faculty from multiple departments and
colleges at the University of Wyoming participate in the Program.
Graduate students admitted to the Program will have a home department, which will
typically be the home department of the respective committee chair or co-chair. Funding
in the form of graduate assistantships and tuition waivers will often come from state-funded
Graduate Assistantships and individual faculty grants administered through the home
departments. Home departments may impose obligations on students, including attendance
at departmental seminars and other functions, but home departments may not impose
any curricular obligations on students beyond those required by the Program in Ecology
and Evolution. Students pursuing degrees within the Program in Ecology and Evolution
are expected to attend PiE2 symposium and other PiE2 functions as they arise.
The Program in Ecology and Evolution is expected to produce PhDs with broad perspectives
in the field of ecology and evolution. The Program aspires to educate scientists who
are:
capable of integrating concepts and perspectives from across the discipline
familiar with the historical and philosophical roots of the discipline able to relate
concrete ecological phenomena with abstract concepts and theory capable of solving
problems and analyzing data quantitatively and qualitatively able to conceive, design,
and execute ecological research in their area of specialization able to anticipate
emerging issues and questions in ecology and evolution, particularly integrating with
other fields (including the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities) able
to communicate clearly in oral and written form to technical and general audiences
imbued with a strong sense of professional ethics committed to advancing ecological
knowledge and its application.
Admission:
Only students seeking a doctoral degree will be admitted into the Program. Minimum
criteria for admission to the Program in Ecology and Evolution are:
minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0,
agreement by a member of the PiE2 Faculty to sponsor the student, or to co-sponsor
the student together with a PiE2 Affiliate, and Support of a home department at the
University of Wyoming.
All applications to the Program will be reviewed by the Graduate Affairs Committee,
which has authority on admissions. Application includes transcripts, CV, and letters
of recommendation as required by the home department. Students should additionally
include a letter of interest in PiE2 and a letter of support from a faculty member.
Such students are encouraged to consult with their prospective advisor on whether
to apply directly to PiE2 or to Master's programs in individual home departments of
PiE2 faculty.
Transfer from other Programs:
Students already admitted to doctoral programs in individual departments at the University
of Wyoming may apply to transfer to the Program. Students who wish to transfer into
the Program from department-based doctoral programs must submit a formal application
and must satisfy all the admission requirements specified above. Such an application
will consist of copies of all the application materials originally submitted to the
program in which the student is currently enrolled, as well as a letter of recommendation
from their prospective PiE2 advisor. In addition, they must submit a letter stating
their reasons for seeking this transfer. All applications will be reviewed by the
Graduate Affairs Committee. In addition, the following apply to transfer students:
Students enrolled in departmental programs who have not yet taken their preliminary
examinations may pursue the PhD in Ecology and Evolution provided they (a) appoint
an Advisory Committee under Program rules before they take their preliminary examinations,
and (b) fulfill the curricular requirements.
Students who have been admitted to departmental programs, and who have already taken
their preliminary examinations, may pursue the PhD in Ecology and Evolution provided
they (a) appoint an Advisory Committee under Program rules within one month of admission
to the Program, and (b) fulfill the curricular requirements. The student's Advisory
Committee has the option of requiring a new preliminary examination.
Students who have been admitted to departmental programs during or after Fall 2005,
and who have already taken their preliminary examinations, may pursue the PhD in Ecology
and Evolution provided they (a) appoint an Advisory Committee under Program rules
within one month of admission to the Program, (b) take a new preliminary examination
within one semester of admission into the Program, and (c) fulfill the curricular
requirements.
Degree Requirements:
Advisory Committee. Before the end of the second semester of study, the student should
nominate a five-member Advisory Committee to the University of Wyoming office of the
Registrar. At least three members of the committee, including the committee chair
(usually the student's advisor), will be members of the PiE2 Faculty. One other member,
who will serve as Graduate School representative, must be from outside the home department
of the major advisor, although (s)he can be a faculty member in a department that
participates in the Program. The committee will advise the student on his/her program
of graduate study, execute and evaluate the student's preliminary examination, evaluate
the student's dissertation proposal and dissertation, and conduct the student's dissertation
defense.
Program of Study
All students are required to successfully complete :
ECOL 5100 or equivalent, preferably during the first year of residency.
ECOL 5690 - Program in Ecology and Evolution Symposium (3 times during residency)
ECOL 5698 - PhD Research Proposal, during term of proposal seminar
ECOL 5699 - PhD Research Defense, during term of defense seminar
Students will be encouraged to take pertinent courses offered by PiE2 faculty and
affiliates or special offerings listed under the ECOL designations. Exceptions or
substitutions of these requirements are subject to approval by the Graduate Affairs
Committee.
ECOL 5690 - Program in Ecology and Evolution Symposium is an annual student-run professional
symposium with an invited keynote speaker. The symposium gives students a venue to
practice their professional presentation skills, hosting a speaker, and running a
professional meeting.
ECOL 5960 is intended to be taken by all students 3 times over their tenure: year 1-2 poster
presentation at the symposium, year 3-4 oral presentation at the symposium, and serving
on the PiEE symposium organizational committee before defending.
The program of study must include at least six credit hours aimed at developing a
tool skill, which except for rare cases shall be in the quantitative/analytical domain
(e.g., statistics, modeling, GIS, remote sensing, bioinformatics, database management,
computing). Courses relating to research tools should be taken early in the student's
residency to ensure that they can be used in dissertation research and advanced studies.
Specific coursework and tool-skill development for the student's program of study
will be developed in consultation with and subject to approval by the student's Advisory
Committee.
Admission to Candidacy. Admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. requires two steps: 1)
providing evidence that the student is prepared to identify a research question, design
an approach for investigating that question, and a plan for executing the approach,
and 2) illustrating adequate proficiency in the subject matter of ecology and evolution
through a process involving both written and oral exams.
Proposal. Students must submit a proposal outlining their project (preferably following
the NSF guidelines for the former Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants) to their
committee, typically by the end of the fourth semester (for procedures involving extenuating
circumstances see annual progress report). Each committee member will provide feedback
to the student on the proposed research and indicate approval of the proposal or request
revision. The proposal must be approved by all committee members prior to starting
the preliminary exams.
While this proposal should be a plan for actual dissertation research, unforeseen
circumstances may require altering the student's dissertation work after the proposal
has been approved by the committee. In the case of a major alteration, the student
should reformulate a research plan and submit it to the committee in writing for committee
approval.
Preliminary Exam:
Written Portion of the Preliminary Exam. The written preliminary exam will take place
no sooner than two weeks after the research proposal has been approved, and after
the program of study has been approved and 30 credits of coursework have been completed.
The goal of this exam is to test breadth of knowledge in ecology and evolution as
described in the Preamble to this document. The design of this exam will be coordinated
by the student’s Advisory Committee under the leadership of the advisor. Each written
exam will cover the following topics:
Ecological topics ranging from organismal / evolutionary to ecosystem-level perspectives,
integrating concepts and perspectives from across the discipline, over a wide range
of spatial and temporal scales.
The philosophical and historical development of ecology and evolution.
The conceptual background of the student's area of specialization.
Questions will be developed collaboratively by the Advisory Committee and compiled
by the major advisor. The exam will be open book; however, the answers will be solely
the work of the student. Use of artificial intelligence to write the exam is prohibited
and will result in an automatic failing grade when detected. Answers should be fully
cited and collectively should be no longer than 30 pages double spaced exclusive of
references cited. Students will have one full week (7 days) to complete the exam.
Within one week of submission to the major advisor, each committee member will submit
a graded rubric and a pass/fail recommendation. A student passes with no more than
one failing vote. If the exam is not passed, the student may retake it once, after
120 days have passed but not more than four semesters have elapsed. A second failure
of the written preliminary exam will result in the dismissal from PiE2 and ineligibility
for the oral exam.
Oral Portion of the Preliminary Exam
At least two weeks after successfully passing the written exam, the student may proceed
to an oral exam administered by their Advisory Committee. The oral exam will assess
the student's ability to:
Demonstrate conceptual and methodological readiness for dissertation research.
Frame specific research questions within a broad, integrative context.
Think spontaneously, creatively, and respond to novel or unexpected questions.
Prior to the exam, the committee will briefly meet to finalize questions based on
these goals. The student will then be admitted to the room to begin the exam.
After the exam, the student will be excused from the room to allow for committee deliberation.
Each member will provide a graded rubric and a pass/fail recommendation. A student
passes with no more than one failing vote. If the oral exam is not passed, one retake
is allowed—only if the student passed the written exam on the first attempt. This
retake must also occur after 120 days have passed but not more than four semesters
have elapsed. Failure on the second oral exam OR on a first oral exam following a
written exam retake results in dismissal from PiE2.
Public Seminars
Students are required to give two oral presentations on their research. The purposes
of these presentations are to provide the student with practice in oral presentations
and to keep the PiE2 community informed of the student's progress. The first will
describe the student's dissertation research proposal and the student will register
for ECOL 5698 - PhD Research Proposal. This presentation will be given before the
student submits his/her dissertation proposal to the advisory committee. The second
presentation will summarize the student's completed dissertation research and will
normally be delivered in the same semester as the student's dissertation defense and
the student will register for ECOL 5699 - Research Defense. Under extraordinary circumstances
(subject to approval by the Graduate Affairs Committee), the defense presentation
may be given at an earlier time. These presentations must be open to the public and
may comprise part of a departmental or Program in Ecology and Evolution seminar or
brown-bag series.
Approved 3 X 05; Revised 15 XII 05. Revised by a 24 (positive) to 0 (negative) vote,
25 X 07.
Annual Progress Report
The student will be required to meet with their advisory committee annually. Graduate
students will hold an annual committee meeting to discuss their degree progress, including
coursework, research plans, teaching duties, and professional development activities.
A majority of committee members must be in attendance, including the faculty advisor
and the outside committee member. A written annual update form (provided on page 3-4)
is required of all students and must be submitted to the Graduate Committee and PiE2
Director a week before the meeting is held. Only activities that postdate the last
annual update should be reported. In addition to providing the department with data
on student accomplishments, this form provides an opportunity to reflect on what has
been learned in the previous year, the successes, and the challenges. The Graduate
Committee is expected to review the written report prior to the annual committee meeting.
At the end of the annual committee meeting, the Advisory Committee will complete a
Progress Report Form (information to be collected is provided on page 5; the form
is submitted online as a Google Form. This form should then be submitted to the Graduate
Coordinator. If the Student’s progress is deemed unsatisfactory by the majority of
the Advisory Committee, the Student and the Committee Chair will meet with the PiE2
director and Graduate Director of home department (if required by home department)
to decide on corrective measures, which will be documented. Students will have one
semester to rectify inadequate progress. At the conclusion of that semester, the Student,
Committee Chair, and PiE2 Director will meet to discuss whether Student progress is
either satisfactory and the student remains eligible for PiE2 funding, or whether
the Student should no longer be eligible for PiE2 funding.
Timely Completion of Dissertation
Should the student/candidate fail to complete their dissertation within the period outlined in UW “Time allowance and limitations” guidelines, they will be required to petition the PiE2 Graduate Affairs Committee and the Director to explain their situation. The Graduate Affairs Committee and faculty advisor may request a 1-year extension on behalf of the student (via a petition to the office of the Registrar), after which, and in the event of failure to complete the dissertation, they will no longer be eligible for a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Ecology.
The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year university with the top research universities in the United States.