Purpose of the Bouvé College Academic Affairs Committee

  • The college Academic Affairs Committee acts on matters relating to the academic and professional standing of all Bouvé students in the college who have already appeared before the unit’s Academic Standing Committee and school dean, department chair, or designee.
  • Issues pertaining to academic and co-op status and professional behaviors violations, including but not limited to warning, probation, permission to resume studies, changes in requirements, and repeating courses, fall within the jurisdiction of the AAC. The AAC also considers student appeals relative to academic or cooperative education judgments by faculty, coordinators, or others acting on behalf of the university, when such appeals arise from a violation, misinterpretation, or inequitable application of the academic provisions outlined in the University Catalog, Cooperative Education Handbook, or student handbooks.
  • Appeals arising from allegations of discrimination or harassment on the basis of a protected category should be referred to the Office for University Equity and Compliance. The Disability Resource Center provides an appeal process for students with disabilities who believe their accommodation requests were unduly denied. If other allegations remain at the conclusion of those inquiries, then the student may refer them to the dean for review by the AAC of the college.

Graduate Student Academic Appeals Procedures

The university policy on graduate student appeals of academic standing or other academic decisions may be found in the graduate sections of this catalog. Academic, professional, scientific, and research misconduct is addressed in the Academic Appeals Policies and Procedures page as well as on the Requirements for Clinical, Internships, and Practicum Courses page in this catalog.  

Levels of the Appeal Process

Please see the Academic Appeals Policies and Procedures page in the graduate catalog for the process steps involved in graduate student appeals. 

Step 1:

Discuss concerns with instructor and/or administrator.  

Step 2:

If the concern remains unresolved after discussions in step 1, prepare and submit an appeal statement. Students are encouraged to contact their academic advisor for guidance. 

Step 3A: BCHS Unit-Level Appeal 

The first step in an appeal in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences is to the unit-level Academic Standing Committee of the unit offering the course. Such appeals should be submitted within 28 calendar days of the day when the student learns of the academic determination. The unit’s ASC must provide the student and involved faculty member with a written report of the finding(s) and decision within 10 business days. 

Step 3B: Department Chair- or School Dean-Level Appeal

 If the student believes they have been erroneously, capriciously, or otherwise unfairly treated with the unit-level committee’s decision, they may pursue a secondary appeal to the next level as specified below:  

School of Clinical and Rehabilitation Sciences: department chair of the unit offering the course or program  

School of Community Health and Behavioral Sciences: department chair of the unit offering the course or program 

School of Nursing: school dean

School of Pharmacy: school dean  

The student must request the appeal by contacting the specified office in writing via email within 10 business days of receiving the report from the previous step. After consideration, the department chair or school dean, or their representative, shall provide the student and involved faculty member with a written report of their finding(s) and decision within 10 business days of receiving the appeal request. 

Step 3C: College-Level Appeal

If the student is not satisfied with the disposition of the matter at the previous step, they may proceed with the appeal through the BCHS AAC. The BCHS AAC hears cases that have been unsatisfactorily resolved at the prior school and unit levels for “students who believe that they have been erroneously, capriciously, or otherwise unfairly treated” or may directly hear appeals concerning final course grades or when a unit does not have a unit-level committee.

The student must request an appeal hearing in writing (via email) within 10 business days of receiving the report from the previous step. After consideration, the college dean or their representative shall provide the student and involved faculty member with a written report of their finding(s) and decision within 10 business days of receiving the appeal request.

Processes for College-Level Appeals to the BCHS AAC 
  • Students wishing to bring an appeal before the college AAC should first consult with their appointed academic advisor, or when the appeal involves the academic advisor, with the assistant dean of student services.  
  • The chair of the college AAC will convene the college appeals panel from among the regular members of the BCHS AAC. The appeals panel will include three voting members of the BCHS AAC that appropriately represent the breadth and depth of programs within the college. At minimum, two schools will be represented on the panel and at least one member who teaches within a similar degree-level program. Members of the panel shall have no known conflicts of interest with the student. The assistant dean of student services and the chair of the AAC will attend the appeal panel hearing as nonvoting members. 
  • The chair for the appeal panel shall be selected from among the panel members and is responsible for producing a formal recommendation of the committee for communication to the college dean. 

  • The chair of the AAC will be responsible for scheduling the meeting, notifying the student and other participants in a timely manner so they may attend, and keeping and archiving records of the proceedings according to committee procedures.

  • The chair of the appeal panel will notify the college dean of the findings and recommended decision. The college dean will have the final decision. 

  • The college dean will notify the student and other relevant parties of the decision in writing no later than 10 business days after the decision.

Step 4: University Level 

If the student is not satisfied with the college’s disposition of the matter or if the appeal is not resolved within the timeline outlined in the Academic Appeals Policies and Procedures, the student may appeal to the university level, as outlined in this catalog.