Academic Petitions

This is an archived copy of the 2016-17 Catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.norwich.edu/.

Right of Petition and Appeal
  • All academic petitions are to be submitted to the Registrar’s Office for action by the Committee on Academic Standing & Degrees (CASD) prior to 12:00 noon on Wednesdays to be reviewed at CASD meetings on Thursdays.
  • At a minimum the petition must include a clear written statement attached by the student of the request, the student’s signature and the recommendations of the individu­als who are identified by role, on the petition form.  Required signatures must be on the petition form and on all attachments.
  • If the petition is for an waiver to Academic Policies, the student must specify the issues to be considered by the CASD to determine if a policy waiver should be granted. Any petition that lacks justification will not be considered.Submission of a petition does not guarantee ap­proval. Students will be notified via email, results of a petition appeal.
  • Additional recommendations required -- if reference is made in the petition by the student to any Norwich University official, (because of an alleged action or statement by that official which is germane to the petition) that official (faculty member or administrator) must provide a recommendation.
  • CASD considers petitions on a case-by-case basis on the merit of the request.
  • Petition requests that are denied by the CASD may be appealed, with­in ten business days of receipt of CASD action, to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs/Dean of Faulty (SVPAA). The SVPAA’s decision is final.

Grievance Procedure

Students who are dissatisfied with some aspect of the conduct of a course are encouraged to seek a resolution of the problem.

  • The first step toward resolution is a discussion with the course instructor.
  • If no mutually agreeable solution is reached, the student must next take the matter to the faculty member’s Department Chair/Director.
  • If the De­partment Chair/Director is unable to resolve the problem, the student should present a written request for relief to the instructor's College Dean. The statement should include a full description of the problem and a request for specific action.
  • The Dean will discuss the matter with both the student and the faculty member and will attempt to find a satisfactory resolution of the problem.
  • If the issue is not resolved to the student's satisfaction, the student may request that the Dean forward the student’s written request and the Dean's written determination to the SVPAA for final review.
  • The SVPAA will analyze the material, arrange additional discus­sion as necessary, and resolve the issue.