The Graduate College uses its Roles and Access Manager to identify authorized signatories, provide access to several systems, and send communications to graduate education administrators across campus. Roles include Director of Graduate Study (DGS), Graduate Program Contact, Graduate Admissions Contacts, and Departmental Degree Certifiers.
The Executive Officer for a unit, typically the head of the department, designates Authorized Signatories using the Graduate College Roles & Access Manager.
An Authorized Signatory for a unit can sign one or more of the types of forms listed below, depending on which roles they have been assigned.
Please note that role assignments are for the entire academic year, August to July and may require training. Graduate Programs are contacted in August to update roles for their unit. To see who in your unit serves in these roles, login to the Graduate College Roles and Access Manager.
Forms requiring an Authorized Signatory:
- Re-Entry and Petitions for Exceptions to Graduate College Policy
- Records, including Transfer of Credit, Curriculum Change, Change of Level
- Registration, including Withdrawal/Cancellation and Late Registration and Course Change forms & Registration in GC 599 and In Absentia
- Doctoral Examination Committee Requests
- Thesis/Dissertation Approval (TDA) and Doctoral Exam Result (PER/FER) forms
- Rating Forms for Fellowships and Traineeships
At the beginning of each academic year, the Graduate College asks units update their Graduate College Authorized Signature Forms to ensure that the correct individuals are allowed to authorize approvals and complete activities for your unit.
Communications
Faculty and staff with authorized roles in the Roles and Access Manager will be automatically added to our email distribution lists for their respective role. These lists do not have subscribe/unsubscribe options. If stepping down from a role, once your department approves the change in the Roles and Access Manager, you will be removed from the list.
Commonly, there are additional staff for whom it would be beneficial to receive Graduate College communications, even though they are not serving in an authorized role. These staff can be added via the Roles and Access Manager as "Contacts Additional" or "DGS Additional".
Using the Graduate College Roles & Access Manager
- Log in to GC RAM with your NetID and AD Password
- Click "Help" for instructions and information about the system
If you have any questions, please contact the Graduate College at 217-333-0035 or grad@illinois.edu.
Mid-year Additions/Removals/Replacements
In addition to this annual update, roles or authorizers may change at any point during the year. When changes occur:
- Log in to the Roles & Access Manager
- Nominate the new individual for their required roles
- The Executive officer must approve the nomination
- The Executive officer must end previous roles for individuals who are no longer in those roles
NOTE: In most cases, if you have signed a form already as the advisor, another authorized signatory must sign as the department signatory.