Academic Petitions

When a student has an extenuating circumstance and believes a policy should be waived, an Academic Petition is an option. A petition form is on the Registrar's SharePoint site and routed to the College Dean of the course or College Dean of the major. A decision made by the College Dean that is not satisfactory to the student will then appeal to the Committee on Academic Standards and Degrees (CASD) completing an appeal form available on the Registrar's SharePoint site. In instances where the College Dean is not the final authority, the petition will be routed to CASD. Curricular waivers or substitutions are to be directed to the Department Chair while General Education and Bachelor of Arts Supplement petition requests will be reviewed by CASD.

Right of Petition and Appeal

• All academic petitions are to be submitted to the Registrar’s Office. The the Committee on Academic Standing & Degrees (CASD) prior to 12:00 noon on Wednesdays to be reviewed at CASD meetings on most Thursdays. All petitions concerning degree requirements or transfer credits are sent to the CASD committee as are policies petitioned after the close of the semester or when accreditation compliance or federal/state regulations must also be taken into consideration.
• At a minimum, the petition must include a clear written statement attached by the student. The student must specify the issues to be considered to determine if a petition should be granted. A petition lacking justification will not be considered. The 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.
• Petitions are considered 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 Provost. The Provost’s decision is final.

• 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 a 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 Provost for final review.
• The Provost will analyze the material, arrange additional discussion as necessary, and resolve the issue.