Ph.D. Appeals Process

Policy Regarding Petition for Readmission

A. Appeal Process 
B. Role of the Advisor 
C. Appeal Committee Hearing 
D. Notification 
E. Confidentiality

Policy Regarding Petition for Readmission
Any student who fails to meet the requirements for continuance in the Ph.D. Program will automatically be “Check Listed” by the Indiana University Graduate School. Once a student has been check listed, he/she is automatically dropped from the program unless reinstated by the Dean. In order to be reinstated, the student must submit a written Petition for Readmission to the Director of the Ph.D. Program. The written petition shall address:

1. The student’s understanding of the reasons why “check listing” has occurred.
2. The student’s plan of action to address the issues that led to being check listed.
3. The reasons why the student believes that he/she should be granted an opportunity to continue in the Ph.D. Program on a probationary status.

The petition must be initiated by the student within one week of having been notified by the Director of the Ph.D. Program that the student has been check listed. Upon receipt of the petition, the Director will conduct an initial review of the student’s situation and make specific recommendations regarding the student’s termination or continuance in the Ph.D. Program. The final decision will be that of the Dean. If the student is not satisfied with the recommendation of the Director, he/she may petition the Dean for a further review by an appointed Appeals Committee.

The Appeals committee shall be composed and appointed according to the following procedures:

• Upon receipt of a Petition for Readmission, the Dean will appoint a committee of three full-time faculty members. The Chair will be assigned by the Dean.
• The student submitting the appeal may request the appointment of one of the three faculty members (and may also request the addition of a neutral student representative).
• The committee should act expeditiously.        top

A.  Appeal Process

Within five days after the Appeals Committee has been constituted, the Chair will set a date for a hearing. After a hearing has been set, the Committee Chair shall give at least one week notification to the student, to the student’s advisor, and to the members of the Appeal Committee about the hearing time and place, as well as the issues which will be considered by the committee. The student will be notified via certified US Mail. All committee members and the student’s advisor must be present at the review hearing.     top

B.  Role of the Advisor

At the hearing, the student’s primary advisor shall present brief background information about the student. The advisor will also secure evaluations from the other instructors in the previous semester regarding the student’s performance in her/his course. The advisor will present information obtained from these instructors and provide her/his assessment of the student’s overall performance. The advisor will also give the Appeal Committee any recommendations that might help resolve the student’s performance problems.        top

C.  Appeal Committee Hearing

1. The student may attend during the fact-finding part of the meeting. The student must leave prior to the committee’s deliberation. The student may also present information to the committee. Prior to the meeting, the student must inform the Committee Chair of intent to attend the meeting and/or speak to the committee.
2. The student may ask up to two persons who are knowledgeable about her/his performance to present information to the committee. Such persons must make brief statements and are permitted to be present in the committee meeting only to make their presentation to the committee. The Committee Chair must be informed at least 48 hours in advance about those persons who will appear on behalf of the student as well as the general nature of the information that each will present.
3. Other faculty members who can contribute information regarding the student’s performance may participate. Such faculty should be present in the committee meeting only to make her/his presentation.
4. Deliberation and Action. For this part of the meeting, only the committee members and the student’s advisor shall be present.
   The advisor will not participate in the voting. The committee shall complete the following tasks during its deliberation:
   a. Consideration of all the factors in the present and past performance of the student.
   b. Discussion of alternative plans to address the performance problem(s).
   c. Decision on plan to be completed by student to resolve the performance problem or decision to dismiss the student from the Ph.D. Program. The committee’s recommendation will be by majority vote.
5. The Appeal Committee shall prepare a written recommendation for submission to the dean which will include a statement describing the nature of the performance problem, a summary of the facts as they were presented to the committee, a description of the committee’s action, and the reasons supporting said action.        top

D.  Notification

Within one week after the review hearing, the committee’s recommendation will be sent in writing to the Dean of the Graduate School. The dean may accept, reject or modify the recommendation of the committee. The dean sends her/his decision to the Associate Dean of the Indiana University Graduate School (Indianapolis Campus), the Ph.D. Program Director, the student, the student’s advisor, and members of the Appeal Committee. A copy of the dean’s decision and the committee’s recommendation will be sent to the student, with a copy going to the student file.       top

E.  Confidentiality

All procedures related to performance review must be carried out in a manner that assures protection of the student’s right to privacy regarding information about her/his academic records, performance, or any of her/his personal affairs. The student has the right to review all written information that is presented to the committee. Members of the committee and other persons who appear at the hearing are expected to maintain confidentiality with regard to all aspects of the hearing. Actions of the committee are to remain confidential and are to be shared only with those persons involved with the student in an educational capacity.       top