Academic Grievance & Appeals Process

ARC-PA 6th ed Standard A3.14g,h

The GWU Department of PA Studies adheres to the Academic Grievance & Appeals Process outlined by the Gayle Bolt Price School of Graduate Studies. Further information can also be found in the Graduate Student Handbook.
NOTE: All appeal forms can be found on MyGWU/Graduate Forms.

Please refer to the Specific Course Appeals Procedure embraced by Gardner-Webb University Gayle Bolt Price School of Graduate Studies.

In all cases where a student wishes to appeal a final grade or any other aspect of a specific course, the student must initiate the appeal and discuss the matter with the instructor. The student must initiate this discussion no later than seven business days after the university officially posts the final grade.

Appeal to Instructor – Step 1

  1. Within seven business days of receiving a decision from the instructor, the student may begin the formal appeal process by completing the Specific Course Appeal – Graduate form and submitting it to their instructor.
  2. The instructor will review the submitted documentation and provide a recommendation along with a rationale and support for their decision, with a copy to the student.
  3. The instructor will then move the form forward in the appeals process to the -Department Director

Appeal to the Program Director – Step 2

  1. The Department Director will review the student’s appeal documentation and may consult with relevant graduate faculty and the Dean as appropriate before making a recommendation, forwarding it to the Dean of Graduate Studies for filing and/or consideration by the Graduate Council Appeals Committee, and copying the student.

Appeal to the Graduate Council (Dean of Graduate Studies) – Step 3

  1. If the appeal reaches consideration by Graduate Council, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies will convene the Appeals Committee of the Graduate Council to hear only those parties involved and determine whether to grant or deny the appeal.
  2. This decision will be communicated in writing to the student, instructor, Department Director, and Dean as appropriate.

Appeal to the Provost – Step 4

  1. Once the Appeals Committee communicates its decision, the student, instructor, or Department Director may appeal the decision to the Provost within seven business days, but only based on additional evidence that the party appealing could not have reasonably made available to the Appeals Committee, violation of procedure, or a sanction inconsistent with the incident.
  2. The Provost may meet with one or more of the persons involved or decide the appeal based on the available written information at the Provost’s discretion.
  3. The Provost’s decision is final and represents the final decision of the University.

NOTE:

  • The appeals process will continue until resolved, until the student requests it stop, or until the appeals process has been exhausted, whichever occurs first.
  • Decisions from all individuals consulted in the appeals process should be documented on the Specific Course Appeal – Graduate form or provided as attachments.

Please refer to the Applications of Written Policy Appeals Procedure embraced by Gardner-Webb University Gayle Bolt Price School of Graduate Studies. Students have the right to appeal adverse outcomes resulting from the application of written academic policies.

Appeal to the Department Director – Step 1

  1. The student must complete the Application of Written Academic Policy Appeal – Graduate form and submit it to the Program Director no later than seven business days after the student receives notice of the adverse outcome.
  2. After consideration, the –Department Director will send the signed form along with their recommendation for approval or denial to Dean as appropriate.

Appeal to the CoHS Dean – Step 2

  1. After consideration, the Department Director will send the signed form along with their recommendation for approval or denial to Dean as appropriate.
  2. The Dean will review the student’s appeal documentation and consult with relevant graduate faculty as appropriate before making a recommendation, forwarding it to the Dean of Graduate Studies for filing and/or consideration by the Graduate Council Appeals Committee, and copying the student.

Appeal to the Graduate Council (Dean of Graduate Studies) – Step 3

  1. If it reaches consideration by Graduate Council, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies will convene the Appeals Committee of the Graduate Council to hear only those parties involved and determine whether to grant or deny the appeal.
  2. This decision will be communicated in writing to the student, -Department Director, and Dean.

Appeal to the Provost – Step 4

  1. Once the Appeals Committee communicates its decision, the student, Department Coordinator/Director/Chair, or Chair/Director/Dean may appeal the decision to the Provost within seven business days, but only based on additional evidence that the party appealing could not have reasonably made available to the Appeals Committee violation of procedure, or a sanction inconsistent with the incident.
  2. The Provost may meet with one or more of the persons involved or decide the appeal based on the available written information at the Provost’s discretion.
  3. The Provost’s decision is final and represents the final decision of the University.

NOTE:

  • The appeals process will continue until resolved until the student requests it stop or until the appeals process has been exhausted, whichever occurs first.
  • Decisions from all individuals consulted in the appeals process should be documented on the Specific Course Appeal – Graduate form or provided as attachments. This form can be found in the Graduate Forms section of WebbConnect.

Academic Dishonesty Appeals

Students also have the right to appeal academic matters concerning academic dishonesty decisions by following the information provided in the Academic Grievance and Appeals Procedure. The complete process for this type of appeal and all procedures are described in the section on Academic Honesty. The deadline for an academic dishonesty appeal is seven days after the date of the decision being appealed.

For non-academic appeals, refer to the Graduate Student Handbook.