The Research Council shall be appointed by the undergraduate deans to represent the colleges in advising the dean of research and graduate studies. Its purposes include providing a channel for open discussion aimed at mutual understanding of faculty and administrative aspirations and concerns involving research at Western Carolina University. The council will advise the dean of research and graduate studies on policies, programs, and procedures assuring high quality faculty research and scholarly contributions. The council will advise the dean of research and graduate studies concerning appropriate faculty development programs and activities and will serve as a reviewing body for graduate school funded programs of competitive awards fostering research, creative, and scholarly activities. The Research Council will receive monthly reports for information only from the Institutional Review Board and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

- Extracted from the Faculty Constitution, Article III, Section 5