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DISMISSALS

A student who fails any of the Macaulay City Seminars, or violates the Honors Integrity Pledge may be subject to dismissal from Macaulay Honors College. 

A student whose GPA for any semester is below the required minimum, if that student has already had at least one semester in Academic Support standing, may be dismissed from Macaulay Honors College. 

Students being dismissed will receive a dismissal letter from Macaulay’s chief academic officer on behalf of their campus director no more than 10 business days after the progress review period. The dismissal letter will clearly specify the exact reasons for dismissal (i.e., which Macaulay requirements have not been satisfied). Students who are dismissed after the end of the fall semester will have their Macaulay benefits (Advising, priority registration, Opportunities Fund, club participation etc.) discontinued, except for tuition coverage during the spring semester. 

APPEALS

Students dismissed from Macaulay Honors College will have an opportunity to appeal within ten (10) business days upon receipt of their dismissal letter using the official Macaulay Appeal Form. All materials must be received before this 10 business day deadline or the dismissal is considered final and an appeal will not be  considered. Appeals must contain a statement from the student explaining the justification for the appeal. All of the specific points listed in the dismissal letter must be addressed in the student appeal letter. Appellants may also include letters of support from faculty, advisors, and others, and should certainly provide these letters if they will include information that will be helpful to the committee in considering the appeal. Any medical or practical difficulties or obstacles must be documented with objective evidence. Claims asserted in the appeal letter but not supported by documentation shall hold little or no weight in the appeals decision. 

The appeals committee shall be composed of Macaulay’s chief academic officer, two Macaulay Directors, two Macaulay advisors, one Macaulay faculty member, one member of the Macaulay student affairs staff and one member of the Macaulay academic affairs staff. Directors and advisors will be appointed to the committee by the Dean on a rotating basis. If the student appellant is from the same campus as a Macaulay Director who is on the committee, or is one of the advisees of one of the advisor who is on the committee, that committee member will not vote on that appeal.

In addition to reviewing the transcript, academic support/probation/dismissal letters, the student appeal letter, and other academic records, the appeals committee will consult with the student’s advisor before making a final decision. A majority vote of the appeals committee shall be sufficient to sustain or deny the appeal and the committee may choose to establish specific conditions, the fulfillment of which are required to sustain a successful appeal. If the appeals committee is unable to reach a decision, the chief academic officer of Macaulay will make the final decision on the appeal. In no case will the chief academic officer overrule a majority decision of the committee. 

The appeals committee will meet to consider appeals within 20 business days of the receipt of the dismissal letter, and will communicate their decision in a letter to the appellant within 10 business days of their meeting. If that letter includes specific conditions as requirements of the reinstatement, failure to meet those requirements shall result in dismissal without the possibility of further appeal. 

The committee may decide to deny the appeal, to grant the appeal and return the student to good academic standing, or to grant the appeal and place the student on Academic Support status. In the case of a decision to place the student on Academic Support, the appeals committee’s letter will clearly specify recommended and/or required steps the student needs to take to return to Good Standing. A student may only be reinstated to Macaulay Honors College one time. If a dismissed student is reinstated to the College and is subsequently dismissed again for any reason, the second dismissal is considered final.