Statistics & Data Science

Lingling An, Executive Committee
Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering

Satheesh Aradhyula
Agricultural-Resource Economics

Jacobus J. Barnard
Computer Science

Edward John Bedrick, Executive Committee
Public Health

David (Dean) Billheimer
Public Health

Alexander Bucksch
School of Plant Sciences

Robert Canales
Public Health

Zhao Chen
Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Jianqiang Cheng
Systems & Industrial Engineering

Michael Chertkov
Mathematics

Andrew Comrie
School of Geography & Development

Melinda F. Davis
Psychology

Hongxu Ding
Pharmacy Practice & Science

Neng Fan
Systems & Industrial Engineering

Gautam Gowrisankaran
Economics

Ryan Gutenkunst
Molecular & Cellular Biology

Ning Hao, Executive Committee
Mathematics

Jake Harwood
Communication

Chiu-Hsieh (Paul) Hsu
Public Health

Chengcheng Hu
Public Health

Bonnie Hurwitz
Biosystems Engineering

Hidehiko Ichimura
Economics

Afrooz Jalilzadeh
Systems & Industrial Engineering

Kwang-Sung Jun
Computer Science

Thomas Kennedy
Mathematics

Nicole B. Kersting
Teaching/Learning and Sociocultural Studies

Derek Lemoine
Economics

Haiquan Li
Medicine

Jingjing Liang
Pharmacy Practice & Science

Kevin Lin
Mathematics

Lifeng Lin
Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Jian Liu
Systems and Industrial Engineering

Yiwen Liu
Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Robert S. Maier
Mathematics

Joanna Monti Masel
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

David Meko
Tree-Ring Laboratory

Samy Missoum
Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering

Clayton Morrison
School of Information

Yue Niu
Mathematics

Jason Pacheco
Computer Science

Walter Piegorsch
Mathematics

James Powell
Economics

Denise Roe
Public Health

Liliana Salvador 
Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences

Chris Segrin
Communication

Sunder Sethuraman
Mathematics

Duane Sherrill
Public Health

Yotam Shmargad
Government and Public Policy

Robert Steidl
School of Natural Resources & the Environment

Vignesh Subbian
Systems & Industrial Engineering

Xiaoxiao Sun
Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Xueying Tang
Mathematics

J. Bruce Walsh
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Joseph Watkins, Vice Chair, Executive Committe,
Mathematics

Tiemen Woutersen
Economics

Erfan Yazdandoost Hamedani
Systems & Industrial Engineering

Chicheng Zhang
Computer Science

Hao (Helen) Zhang, Chair
Mathematics

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE & LIFE SCIENCES

• Agricultural-Biosystems Engineering
• Agricultural-Resource Economics
• Family and Consumer Sciences
• Natural Resources and the Enviornment

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

• Teaching/Learning and Sociocultural Studies

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

• Biosystems Engineering
• Systems and Industrial Engineering

COLLEGE OF LAW

• Law

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

• Medicine

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

• Public Health
• Epidemiology and Biostatistics

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

• Computer Science
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Mathematics
• Molecular and Cellular Biology
• Psychology
• Tree Ring Laboratory

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

• Communication
• Geography & Development
• Government and Public Policy
• School of Information
• Sociology

ELLER COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT

• Economics
• Management Information Systems

Statistics & Data Science Program Bylaws

Preamble

The Graduate Interdisciplinary Program (GIDP) in Statistics & Data Science (SDS) administers both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, as well as a Ph.D. Minor and a Graduate Certificate, in Statistics & Data Science. The Executive Committee, which is appointed by and responsible to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs, serves as the executive, administrative, and policy-making board for the Program.

The responsibilities of the GIDP in SDS include administration of the graduate training program, facilitation and coordination of graduate statistics instruction across the campus, and promotion of University-wide transdisciplinary activities in the broad area of both theoretical and applied statistics through organized research seminars, colloquia, forums, retreats, and journal clubs.

It is essential that the GIDP carry out timely planning and review of its faculty, and of its research and training operations. This responsibility falls to the Program’s Executive Committee, with input from all members of the GIDP. In the following Articles the Bylaws, operating procedures, and policies of the Program are outlined. This organization and structure shall conform to the guidelines for Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs as set forward by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.

Article I. Membership in the GIDP in Statistics & Data Science

The Graduate Interdisciplinary Program (GIDP) in Statistics & Data Science consists of tenured, tenure eligible, and qualified Research Series faculty at the University of Arizona who participate in research, scholarship, consulting, education, and training in the field of Statistics.

A. Criteria

1. Faculty shall be nominated for membership in the GIDP by submitting a request for membership and a recent curriculum vitae to the Program’s Executive Committee. The request for membership should include a statement of interest in participating in graduate training (both in directing M.S. and Ph.D. students and in offering recognized graduate courses) in the area of Statistics. Fundamental criteria for membership shall include commitment to Statistics graduate education and demonstrated, current publication of scholarly statistical research (which may be interpreted broadly on a case-by-case basis). A two-thirds majority of positive votes of the entire Executive Committee shall be required for nomination to membership. If successful, the nomination then passes to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.

2. Faculty may hold Regular membership or Affiliate membership.
a. Regular members are those involved in teaching core SDS courses, directing M.S. and Ph.D. students in the GIDP, and/or others who have agreed to be significantly active in the Program. Significant activity includes, but is not limited to: (a) service on a committee or subcommittee of the GIDP in SDS; (b) thesis/dissertation direction for graduate students in SDS; (c) teaching a graduate course recognized by the GIDP in SDS; (d) active involvement in the Statistical Consulting Laboratory; and/or (e) continued scholarly productivity (which may be interpreted broadly on a case-by-case basis) as recognized by (i) publications in statistical journals, (ii) fundamental statistical advances published in subject-matter journals, or (iii) external research funding in the area of Statistics.

b. Affiliate members are those with a general interest in statistical issues who wish to be fully informed of the Program’s operation, and who wish to engage in a limited subset of Program activities.

c. Affiliate members may choose to rotate to Regular status at some future time. Likewise, Regular members may choose to rotate to Affiliate status at desired intervals. Either rotation can be accomplished via the standard procedure outlined in Article I.A.1.

d. It is emphasized that these Regular and Affiliate Memberships do not represent primary and secondary ‘citizenship’ in the GIDP, rather a means of explicitly identifying a member’s level of active involvement in the Program.

B. Responsibilities

1. Tenured and tenure-eligible Regular Members of the GIDP in SDS may serve as thesis and dissertation advisors for M.S. and Ph.D. students in SDS, and may represent the SDS Ph.D. minor on students’ graduate committees in other fields. Non-tenure-eligible Regular Members who wish to supervise a graduate student must petition the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs through the Chair of the SDS GIDP (see Article II.B) for permission to direct a student’s research in the Program.

2. Any member of the GIDP in SDS may serve on the various committees and subcommittees of the Program when so appointed by the Chair of the GIDP.

3. Each Regular Member of the GIDP in SDS shall have one vote on matters brought to the GIDP by the Executive Committee. In all cases, a quorum shall constitute one third of the pertinent voting membership.

C. Any faculty member may request that the GIDP Chair provide a written review of that member’s activities in the Program. This statement could be used for purposes of promotion & tenure, post-tenure review, appointment or nomination to specialized posts or chaired positions, etc. To do so, the member must submit a written report to the GIDP Chair, outlining the member’s activity and involvement in the GIDP and noting the percentage of her/his total workload spent in support of the Program. This statement should cover a period of at least 12 calendar months up to and including the date of the request. The GIDP Chair through the Executive Committee (see Article II.A.3.c) will perform the review. The consequent statement will be forwarded to both the faculty member and the Head of her/his primary department or academic unit (or, in the case of faculty who are Department Heads, to the appropriate Dean) no later than 45 calendar days after receipt of the faculty member’s activity report.

Article II. Executive Committee and Chair of the GIDP in Statistics & Data Science

The activities of the GIDP in SDS are administered by the Executive Committee.
The Chairperson of this Executive Committee will serve as Chair of the GIDP. The Executive Committee through the Chair will report to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.

A. Executive Committee

1. The Executive Committee of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in SDS will consist of six Regular Members from the GIDP. This includes the GIDP Chair as Chairperson of the Committee. Faculty members of the Executive Committee will serve a three-year term and the terms will be staggered so that two members of the Committee will be replaced every year. Members of the Executive Committee may serve an unlimited number of terms. After serving two consecutive terms a member must be recommended by plurality vote of the Regular Faculty as per Article II.A.2.a, below, in order for a re-appointment recommendation to be transmitted to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs. (After serving two consecutive terms, re-appointment to a third, fourth, etc., consecutive term solely via Article II.A.2.d, below, will not be considered for any member of the Executive Committee.)

2. The two annual replacement appointments to the Committee will be made by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs, based on recommendations from the GIDP Regular Membership. The Executive Committee will convene and on behalf of the faculty submit these recommendations to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs no later than December 1st of each year.

a. One replacement will be recommended via plurality vote of (a quorum of) the Regular Members. For years in which the Chair’s position is open for replacement appointment, the voting will be conducted as per the procedures in Article II.B.2. Otherwise, by each October 15th, a member of the Executive Committee not under consideration for reappointment or for appointment as the Chair will be charged with accepting nominations, scheduling and conducting the faculty vote, sequestering absentee ballots (see below), and informing the larger Executive Committee of the results.

b. The faculty vote must be scheduled and announced to the GIDP’s Regular Members with at least 30 calendar days prior notification. Nominations, including selfnominations, for this replacement recommendation will be accepted from any Regular Member in good standing; these must be submitted to the member of the Executive Committee supervising that year’s voting no later than 15 calendar days prior to the scheduled GIDP faculty vote. Absentee ballots will be made available from and accepted by the member of the Executive Committee supervising that year’s voting. Any Regular Member in good standing may cast an absentee ballot, in lieu of her/his in-person vote, no earlier than 10 calendar days prior to the meeting vote. Electronic submission is permitted, but all absentee ballots must remain sealed or sequestered until the faculty vote takes place.

c. Any questions of impropriety, misconduct, mismanagement, or other appeal regarding the voting process must be submitted to the Executive Committee for transmittal to and adjudication by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs. Transmittal of the query/appeal must be made no later than 10 calendar days after it is received by the Executive Committee. The Director’s decisions on any such matters will be final.

d. The second replacement recommendation will be made directly by the Executive Committee, after considering the results of the larger GIDP vote on the first replacement recommendation. The Committee shall not consider for this second replacement recommendation any member who has served two consecutive, immediately-preceding terms on the Executive Committee. Both recommendations will then be transmitted to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs by the appropriate due date.

3. The Executive Committee will oversee membership in the Program.

a. The Committee will have primary duty to approve or deny Regular or Affiliate
Membership of new applicants to the Program as per the membership guidelines in Article I.A.1.

b. The Committee will when required approve or deny the transition from Affiliate Membership to Regular Membership (and vice versa).

c. The Committee will review members’ status and standing as per the guidelines in Article I.A. This review will be performed whenever such a request is made by a GIDP member, using that faculty member’s written report of involvement/activity (see Article I.C). The Committee’s report should be submitted to the GIDP Chair no later than 30 calendar days after receipt by the Program of the faculty member’s activity report so that the Chair may complete the written feedback on the faculty member’s statement. These comments will be forwarded to both the faculty member and the Head of her/his primary department or academic unit (or, in the case of faculty who are Department Heads, to the appropriate Dean).

4. The Executive Committee will assist the GIDP Chair in providing general oversight and direction for the GIDP, via the following activities:

(a) providing advice and counsel to the GIDP Chair regarding appointments to GIDP committees (see Article III),

(b) preparing and submitting an annual review of Program activities and accomplishments to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs before the deadline date set by that office as per University Guidelines & Policies, (c) ruling on any curriculum matters/exceptions/appeals brought by GIDP students as regards their graduate programs of study,

(d) promoting interdepartmental awareness and supporting education and research related to the field of Statistics,

(e) advising the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs and the Vice President for Research on issues pertinent to the GIDP and to the field of Statistics, and

(f) reviewing these Bylaws annually by January 15th to ensure that the GIDP structure remains modern, pertinent, and operable (see Article IV).

5. The Executive Committee is responsible for administering the graduate program.

These responsibilities include:

(a) recruitment and admission of graduate students into the graduate program via oversight of the standing Committee on Recruiting & Admissions (see Article III.A), (b) monitoring the progress of these students, and (c) securing and allocating the necessary funding for graduate assistantships.

6. Any member of the Executive Committee, including the Chair, may be asked to step down from the Committee by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs if that member fails to respond to or execute her/his duties as laid forth in this document or otherwise as assigned by the GIDP Chair and/or the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs. Any questions of impropriety, misconduct, mismanagement, or other inappropriate actions by any member of the Executive Committee that impact negatively on the GIDP or the University must be submitted to and will be adjudicated by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs. The Director’s decisions on any such matters will be final.

7. Any vacancy on the Executive Committee created by resignation, dismissal, or other departure of a GIDP faculty member will be filled immediately with a substitute appointed by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs, based on recommendations from the existing Executive Committee. The substitution appointment will complete the remaining term and encompasses all rights, privileges, and responsibilities appertaining to the vacated position.

B. Chair of the GIDP in Statistics & Data Science

1. The Chair of the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Statistics & Data Science acts on behalf of the Executive Committee (and also serves as chair of said Committee) in all issues concerning statistical research, scholarship, consulting, and graduate student education & training—and manages administrative matters pertaining to all such activities—on the University of Arizona campus. The Chair represents the interests of the GIDP to the University Administration, individual University Colleges and Departments, granting agencies, other external bodies, prospective students, etc., and is appointed by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs based on a candidate selected by a plurality vote of (a quorum of) the Regular Members of the SDS GIDP (see Article II.B.2).

2. Voting for the Chair shall be restricted to Regular GIDP Members, and shall follow a set order.

a. By October 15th of the year preceding replacement appointment of the Chair, a member of the Executive Committee not under consideration for reappointment or for appointment as the Chair will be charged with accepting nominations, scheduling and conducting the faculty vote, sequestering absentee ballots (see below), and informing the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs of the results. As with any appointment to the Executive Committee, results of the faculty vote must be transmitted to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs no later than December 1st of the year prior to which the Chair takes office.

b. The faculty vote must be scheduled and announced to the GIDP’s Regular Members
with at least 30 calendar days prior notification. Nominations, including selfnominations, for the Chair will be accepted from any Regular Member in good standing; these must be submitted to the member of the Executive Committee supervising that year’s voting no later than 15 calendar days prior to the scheduled GIDP faculty vote. Absentee ballots will be made available from and accepted by the member of the Executive Committee supervising that year’s voting. Any Regular Member in good standing may cast an absentee ballot, in lieu of her/his in-person vote, no earlier than 10 calendar days prior to the meeting vote. Electronic submission is permitted, but all absentee ballots must remain sealed or sequestered until the faculty vote takes place.

c. Any questions of impropriety, misconduct, mismanagement, or other appeal regarding the voting process must be submitted to the Executive Committee for transmittal to and adjudication by the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs. The Director’s decisions on any such matters will be final.

3. The Chair will serve a three-year term with the possibility of reappointment. Any nomination for reappointment requires a majority vote of the GIDP membership. As with any member of the Executive Committee, the Chair may serve an unlimited number of terms.

4. The duties of the Chair are to:

(a) convene and preside at meetings of the Executive Committee to be held not less than once a semester;

(b) help guide the efforts of the Executive Committee in acquiring University and other external resources to support the full functioning of the GIDP and manage effectively the budget and financial resources of the Program;

(c) convene and preside at meetings of the larger GIDP in SDS at least once per year and otherwise as needed;

(d) prepare Promotion & Tenure and Continuing Review documentation for faculty members of the GIDP according to University policies and procedures;

(e) monitor the activities of the Statistical Consulting Laboratory and negotiate with the separate Director of that Office details pertinent to its operation, including budget, personnel, graduate student employment and duties, and any consulting activities external to the University;

(f) monitor and update catalogue and other copy of all GIDP curricular and promotional materials; and

(g) with the advice and counsel of the Executive Committee appoint and supervise the Standing Committees of the GIDP. Article III below discusses how these committees will manage administrative matters of the GIDP, including course requirements and changes.

5. Decisions on fiscal matters that impact the mission and/or vision of the GIDP will be the purview of the GIDP Chair, with the advice and counsel of the full Executive
Committee. When necessary, fiscal matters submitted for a formal vote to the Executive Committee by the Chair or by an external entity will require a simple majority for passage.

6. The Chair will act to publicize and promote GIDP faculty membership and status to all University Administrators, Deans, Directors, and Department Heads; namely, that GIDP membership identifies (their) faculty members as being substantively involved in the University’s Statistics Program and that this involvement should be appropriately recognized and rewarded.

Article III. Standing GIDP Committees

A. The GIDP Recruiting & Admissions (R&A) Committee shall be comprised of no
fewer than two and no more than five GIDP members, appointed at the beginning of each academic year by the Chair of the GIDP with the advice and counsel of the Executive Committee. Reappointment to the committee is permitted. The R&A Committee will be responsible for publicizing the GIDP; maintaining, updating, printing, and distributing the Program brochure; receiving and organizing graduate applications as per University guidelines; evaluating applicants; and making recommendations to the Executive Committee as to acceptance of new students into the graduate program.

B. The Curriculum Committee shall be comprised of no fewer than two and no more than five GIDP members, appointed at the beginning of each academic year by the Chair of the GIDP with the advice and counsel of the Executive Committee. Reappointment to the committee is permitted. The Curriculum Committee shall be responsible for presenting graduate students at the University of Arizona with a unified curriculum that reflects the diversity of statistical research and applications in place across the campus. To do so, it identifies and coordinates graduate-level statistics classes among participating faculty. Proposed changes in the curriculum requirements for the various degrees and certificates offered by the GIDP, along with any course recommendations,modifications, and/or deletions, must first be approved by the Curriculum Committee and then subsequently by a majority vote of the entire Executive Committee. As per University Guidelines & Policies, the proposed changes/recommendations must then be cleared by the GIDP Chair before forwarding to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs for signature approval.

C. The Colloquia & Forums (C&F) Committee shall be comprised of no fewer than two and no more than five GIDP members, appointed at the beginning of each academic year by the Chair of the GIDP with the advice and counsel of the Executive Committee. Reappointment to the committee is permitted. The C&F Committee shall be responsible for soliciting from the membership topics and/or names for colloquia/forum speakers, selecting the speakers, organizing each event and coordinating it with appropriate funding units, inviting the speaker to present the colloquium, arranging for the speaker’s travel and accommodation, attending to any professional needs during the speaker’s visit, acquiring and reserving the venue and any necessary equipment for the presentation, arranging for a reception before or after the event, facilitating prompt reimbursement(s) for any speaker expenses, and acting on behalf of the GIDP in all other matters pertaining to colloquia and forums.

D. The Examinations Committee shall be comprised of no fewer than two and no more than five GIDP members, appointed at the beginning of each academic year by the Chair of the GIDP with the advice and counsel of the Executive Committee. Reappointment to the committee is permitted. The Examinations Committee shall be responsible forconstructing, scheduling, administering, proctoring, and grading the written Ph.D. Qualifying Examination, which every GIDP Ph.D. student must pass by the beginning of her/his fourth semester of study. (The examination may be retaken only once.) The grading must be completed and a report on each student’s results indicating the Committee’s pass/fail recommendation must be delivered to the GIDP Chair within 21 calendar days after administration of the examination.
[NOTE: As per Graduate School regulations, Ph.D. candidates must pass a written Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination in both the major area of Statistics and the chosen minor area(s). This examination differs from the written Ph.D. Qualifying Examination. The Comprehensive Examination is constructed, administered, and graded by the student’s own graduate committee. The consequent Ph.D. Oral Comprehensive Examination is conducted before an examining committee of the faculty, also determined by the student’s graduate committee.]

E. Vacancies on any GIDP committee created by resignation or other departure of a GIDP faculty member shall be filled with a temporary member appointed by the Chair of the GIDP. A formal replacement appointment will then be made at the next annual opportunity via that committee’s standard mechanisms, as described herein.

F. Provisional GIDP committees or provisional subcommittees of any Standing
Committee may be assembled by the GIDP Chair with the advice and counsel of the Executive Committee, when matters brought to the Program’s attention require their construction. Such committees will exist for a maximum of one calendar year, after which time they will summarily disband. If conditions require continued reconstruction of the provisional (sub)committee, the Executive Committee will meet to determine if the Bylaws should be amended (see Article IV) to elevate the provisional committee to Standing status.

Article IV Amendments

These Bylaws shall be reviewed at the beginning of each academic year by the Executive Committee and amended or revised by action of said Committee. The Executive Committee will transmit any proposed amendments or revisions of the Bylaws to all Regular and Affiliate GIDP Faculty Members a minimum of 30 calendar days prior to any action it takes on such amendments or revisions. Said Committee shall take any comments received from the faculty into account when conducting its actions. Any consequent revisions and amendments must be reviewed by the UA Graduate Interdisciplinary Program Advisory Council (GIDPAC) and then forwarded for final approved to the Director of Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.

 version: 24 November 2007

Program name updated 26 June 2019