In this section:

In this section

• Overview
• CAS Undergraduate Programs
  • Academic Calendar
  • Advising Services
  • Class Responsibilties
  • Human Subjects
  • Baccalaureate Degree Requirements
  • Marks and Evaluations
  • Awards & Recognition Programs
  • Administrative Board & Academic Review
  • Final Examinations
  • Registration Procedures
  • Participation in Commencement
  • Transfer of Credit
  • Other Academic Programs
  • Prelaw, Health Professions and Premedical, and Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate Programs
  • Partnerships
• CAS Graduate Programs
  • Academic Calendar
  • Academic Programs
  • Graduate Degree and Certificate Requirements
  • Academic Policies
  • Honor Code
  • Graduate Student Services & Clubs
  • Financial Awards & Fellowships
  • Program Directors
• School of Health Sciences
  • Academic Calendar
  • Academic Policies & Regulations
  • Department Directory
• Graduate School of Library & Information Science
• School of Management
  • MBA Academic Calendar
  • Academic Policy
  • Degree Requirements for the MBA Program
  • MBA Student Services
• School of Social Work
  • SSW Academic Calendar
  • MSW Policies and Academic Guidelines

Administrative Board & Academic Review

The Simmons Administrative Board consists of six faculty members; the director of the Center for Academic Achievement, ex officio; the dean for student life or her representative, ex officio; and the registrar or her representative, ex officio. This committee handles the administration and application of rules, regulations, and policies determined by the faculty that concern individual students.

In particular, the board considers petitions requesting exceptions to prescribed standards or requirements and monitors the College's academic standards. Forms for submitting petitions to the Administrative Board are available from the registrar.

The records of students who are experiencing academic difficulty are reviewed periodically by the Administrative Board. The records of any students in the following categories will be reviewed:

• has a semester or cumulative GPA of less than 2.00
• (1.67 for student who entered prior to fall 2002) as a result of her achievement in Simmons summer school
• has a summer or cumulative GPA of less than 2.00
• (1.67 for students who entered prior to fall 2002)
• is granted a leave of absence or withdraws from the College after the eighth week of the semester
• overall record is considered marginal

The faculty has given the Administrative Board the authority to take whatever action it deems appropriate in each student's situation. Such actions may include a letter of warning, probation, continued probation, removal from degree candidacy, or exclusion. As a result of this review, special conditions may be imposed on the student by the Administrative Board, in which case both the student and her parents or guardian (if the student is a dependent) may be notified.

When the Administrative Board reviews the record of a student who may be excluded from the College, it attempts to contact the student, her advisor, and her instructors. The student is offered the opportunity to make a statement in writing for consideration by the Board, and the student may request in writing to appear in person before the Board. The Administrative Board may take the following actions:

No Action

The student remains in good standing. Students are advised that all institutional, federal, and state-administered financial aid, including federal and state loan programs, will be discontinued to students who are excluded from the College, who are removed from degree candidacy, who are on probation for more than one consecutive semester, or who fail to accumulate the prescribed number of credits toward the completion of their degrees. Financial aid recipients who are experiencing academic difficulty are urged to consult with a financial aid office staff member and to read carefully the Office of Student Financial Services statement on policy and procedure relative to academic progress.

Informal academic warnings are forwarded to the student, the Center for Academic Achievement, and the faculty advisor, by individual faculty members at any time during the semester. Such warnings will explain the basis for the instructor's evaluation, including but not limited to missed assignments, poor attendance, and low grades on quizzes. Students receiving such warnings should see their instructor and in some cases may also schedule an appointment with the director of the Center for Academic Achievement. In many cases, with prompt and appropriate responses, students can recover from earlier poor performance. First-year students are given progress reports. Counseling and assistance are made available to students in need, as described here.

Letter of Warning

The student remains a degree candidate in good standing, and her record may be reviewed by the Administrative Board at the end of the semester if her grades do not improve.

Probation

The student may remain in degree candidacy, under warning, for one semester, with review and further action by the Administrative Board at the end of that semester.

Immediate Removal from Degree Candidacy and Exclusion from the College

At the end of a semester as a non-degree candidate, the student may apply for readmission to the College. When degree candidacy is restored, courses successfully completed while a student had non-degree status will be applied toward a degree. An excluded student is required to withdraw from the College for an entire semester. After that time, she may apply to the Administrative Board for readmission. A freshman may not be excluded at the end of her first semester.