Academic Information and Regulations

Academic Amnesty

Herkimer College's Academic Amnesty program is designed to give a fresh start to students who have been away from the college for three years or more and who return to complete a degree or certificate. Such students may apply to have unsatisfactory grades excluded from the calculation of the grade point average (GPA).

Eligibility Requirements:

1. The student has not enrolled at Herkimer College for at least three years.
2. The student has re-matriculated into a degree or certificate program at Herkimer College.
3. The student's current cumulative GPA must be below 2.00
4. The student must submit the application after registering for the returning semester and no later than the end of the returning semester (prior to semester grades being received from faculty).
5. The student must register and complete at least 9 credit hours in their returning semester, with no F's or W's and have a semester GPA of at least 2.00.
6. Academic Amnesty may be granted only one time in a student's academic history at the college.

Procedure:

1. The student submits the application for Academic Amnesty to the Registrar's Office after registering for the returning semester.  The Registrar's Office will notify the student if they are eligible; however approval can't be determined until final grades are received and processed for the returning semester.
2. The student should send the application by mail to:  Registrar's Office, Herkimer College, 100 Reservoir Road, Herkimer, NY   13350 or by fax to 315-866-1657.
3. Normally D and F grades earned prior to approval of Academic Amnesty will be excluded from the GPA calculation.  Any D or F grades earned during or after the returning semester will not be excluded from the GPA calculation.  Any D grade excluded from the GPA but required for a degree must be repeated.

Limitations of Academic Amnesty

1. Courses that were previously applied to a program for the purpose of graduation are not eligible for Academic Amnesty.
2. Academic Amnesty does not change or adjust financial aid eligibility.  Federal and state standards for the evaluation of academic history may supersede the College's Academic Amnesty policy.
3. Outstanding financial obligations incurred by the student prior to approval of Academic Amnesty remain the responsibility of the student.
4. There is no guarantee that Herkimer College's Academic Amnesty will be recognized by any other college or university.
5. Grades/courses excluded from GPA calculations as part of the Academic Amnesty will remain on the student's transcript.
6. If approved for Academic Amnesty, the student must maintain a semester GPA of 2.00 or higher in each semester after resuming study, failure to do so will result in dismissal from the College

 

Academic Integrity

The maintenance of academic integrity is the responsibility of both faculty and students.  Current and prospective students are expected to adhere to the values of intellectual and academic honesty and integrity.  Academic dishonesty is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.  Any charge of academic dishonesty shall be substantiated by the preponderance of the evidence.

 

Definition:

          Academic dishonesty describes a wide range of behaviors to include, but are not limited to..

  1.  Cheating-Intentionally using unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any work     submitted (e.g. copying another's work during a test or assignment, collaborating with others on an assignment without the Instructor's permission, using crib notes.)

 2.  Plagiarism-Deliberately reproducing or adopting ideas, works or statements of another person as one's own without acknowledgement (e.g. paraphrasing or summarizing a source without proper citation, turning in a paper written by another person, buying a paper from a commercial source, failing to properly attribute quotations with a paper or submitting the same paper for credit in more than one course without the Instructor's permission).

  3.  Fabrication-Intentionally falsifying or misrepresenting information derived from another source in an assignment (e.g. citing a source that doesn't exist, citing information from a source that does not contain the information, intentionally distorting or inventing data, statistical results or their meaning.

  4.  Other Academic Misconduct-Includes but is not limited to such actions as planning with another to commit an act of academic dishonesty, inappropiately providing or receiving information or academic work to gain an unauthorized or unfair advantage over others (e.g. stealing, buying, selling or otherwise obtaining all or part of a test or assignment, allowing another person to access and complete required online work).

Procedure:

1.  The Faculty member will review the evidence to ensure it is sufficient to warrant a charge of academic dishonesty.

2.  The faculty member will contact the student regarding the incident.  If the student is unable to satisfactorily explain the discrepancies, the faculty member will collect/acquire any additional evidence of the incident.

3.  The faculty member will report suspected incidents to the appropriate Associate Dean.  (The College reserves the right to require students to come to campus to complete verification of the authenticity of any work submitted online or in the classroom).

Consequences for academic dishonesty are enacted at the discretion of the Instructor and may include the following...

• failing the test, assignment or paper
• failing the course (course failures must be approved by the Associate Dean).

Any action taken by the Instructor must be clearly communicated to the student and reported in writing to the Associate Dean and the Provost.

Students should refer to the Instructor's course syllabus for additional details regarding specific course policies.

 

Appeals:

If a student disputes the facts constituting evidence of the infraction, a written appeal may be filed with the divisional Associate Dean within 30 calendar days of the consequences being communicated by the faculty member.  The divisional Associate Dean will then convene an ad hoc Appeal Board consisting of two faculty members.  If the course in question is online, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs-Internet Academy and Continuing Education may also be included.

If either the student or the faculty member disputes the decision of the Appeal Board, and has new evidence bearing on the case, they may submit an additional written appeal to the Chief Academic Officer (or his/her designee) within one year after alleged infraction took place.  The decision of the Provost shall be considered final and binding on all parties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attendance

To maintain high quality academic work, regular attendance at class is necessary. Absence from class is considered a serious matter and never excuses a student from class work. After reviewing the student’s justification, the instructor may give the student the opportunity to make up the work missed; however, this decision is at the instructor’s discretion. A college-wide attendance policy empowers a faculty member to administratively withdraw a student who has missed 20% of the class meetings in a course.

Change of Course/Curriculum

Students may drop/add courses for any given term as per the schedule posted by the Registrar’s Office. Students may add courses providing space permits. Schedule changes are initiated with the student’s assigned academic advisor.
Following the official time period for dropping and adding a class, a student may withdraw from a course. This will be noted on an official transcript. Students who do not formally withdraw in the Registrar’s Office will be carried on class rosters, and will receive a failing grade for all assignments and tests not completed. The last date to withdraw formally from a course is the end of the tenth week of classes, or the equivalent time period (67%), in the case of a course of shorter duration than a full semester.
Applicable fees may apply. Any adjustments in charges will be based on the date the schedule changes are completed.
Students wishing a change of curriculum (major) must complete the appropriate form obtained from the Advisement Center. The first curriculum change is free, all changes after are $25.

Course Overloads

An overload is defined as a course a student wishes to take above and beyond 18 credits in a given semester. Physical Education Activities (one credit hour course) and Honors Program are exceptions and do not need to meet the criteria.

The following criteria are used in determining approval for an overload:

1. Overloads are exceptions and not the norm.
2. The student should have a GPA of 3.25 or higher in course work completed at Herkimer College.
3. The student should not have withdrawn from a course in any previous semester. (The impact is to elevate QPA and indicates that the student was unable to handle the normal load during that semester).
4. Generally, overloads are not allowed for freshman students.
5. Seniors with the approval of the Associate Dean may overload to meet graduation requirements.
6. There is a maximum of 22 credits allowed per semester, NO EXCEPTIONS.

All overloads must be approved by the Associate Dean of the Division.

Grades and Quality Points

The following is the official College grading system:

Letter Grade	Quality Points	Quality Range - Based upon comparison with other students in the course or students who have taken the course previously.
A+, A,	4.0	Superior mastery of facts and principles;
A-	3.7	clear evidence that stated course objectives and requirements were met by the student.
B+	3.3	Above average mastery of facts and principles;
B	3.0	evidence that stated course objectives
B-	2.7	and requirements were met by the student.
C+	2.3	Average mastery of facts and principles;
C	2.0	some evidence that stated course objectives
C-	1.7	and requirements were met by the student.
D+	1.3	Little mastery of facts and principles;
D	1.0	acceptable evidence that stated course objectives
D-	0.7	and requirements were met by the student.
F	0.0	No mastery of facts and principles; little evidence that stated course objectives and requirements were met by the student.
AW		Administrative Withdrawal
AF		Administrative Failure
I		Incomplete
WM		Medical Withdrawal
W		Withdrawn
P		Satisfactory completion of required course.
S		Satisfactory completion of a non-credit course.
U		Unsatisfactory
Z		Given to students who officially register for a course but who fail to attend. This grade is the equivalent of an “F”.

In computing averages for all students, only grades earned at the College are considered. A student must maintain a 2.0 cumulative average in order to qualify for graduation. If, at the end of any semester, a student is deficient in quality points or credit hours earned, he/she may be placed on academic warning, probation or considered for dismissal, depending on the extent of the deficiency. A student on probation who does not overcome quality point or credits completed deficiency at the end of the next semester will be considered for dismissal. A student on academic warning may not carry, during the next semester in attendance, more than the normal number of credit hours for that curriculum. A student may also be required to take a reduced load.

The College reserves the right to withdraw, suspend or dismiss any student whose academic standing, conduct or attendance is unsatisfactory.

Internet Academy

Herkimer College’s Internet Academy provides the opportunity for students to take courses online anytime. All that is needed is a computer and Internet access. In an online course, the instructor and students communicate through the Internet. Students can log on at anytime and compose and submit assignments, ask questions of the instructor, discuss issues with other classmates and actively participate from home, office, school or anyplace one has Internet access.

The Internet Academy offers 20 degree programs and 4 certificate programs entirely online. Herkimer College offers more than 170 courses online through the Open SUNY. Internet Academy courses are taught by many of the same experienced professors who teach on campus.

A full range of academic and student services are available to online students including:

Academic advisement

Financial aid assistance

Transfer counseling

Career counseling

Online orientation

Access to Herkimer College, SUNY, national and international research sources

Interlibrary loan

Online tutoring

Additional conveniences include online application and registration, online ordering of textbooks from the Herkimer College Bookstore, online tutoring services, listings of all Internet Academy course descriptions and faculty, and program descriptions including the sequence of courses needed to complete two-year requirements.

Internet Academy students may take HE 130 Wellness or HE 121 Personal and Community Health instead of the two PE activities.

Two-year degree programs:

Business: Accounting (A.S. and A.A.S.)

Business: Business Administration (A.S. and A.A.S.)

Business: Health Services Management (A.A.S.)

Business: Human Resource Management (A.A.S.)

Business: Marketing (A.A.S.)

Business: Small Business Management (A.A.S.)

Criminal Justice (A.S. and A.A.S.)

Criminal Justice: Crime and Intelligence Analysis (A.A.S.)

Ecotourism and Adventure Travel (A.A.S.)

Human Services (A.A.S.)

Legal Studies (A.A.S)

Liberal Arts and Sciences: General Studies (A.A.)

Liberal Arts and Sciences: Humanities (A.A.)

Liberal Arts and Sciences: Social Science (A.A.)

Quality Assurance-Business (A.S.)

Quality Assurance-Science (A.S.)

Travel & Events Management (A.A.S.)

One-year certificate programs:

Medical Coding/Transcriptionist

Quality Assurance: Property and Asset Management

Small Business Management

Teaching Assistant

For more information please visit the Internet Academy website at: www.ia.herkimer.edu.

College Now Concurrent Enrollment Program

College Now is the concurrent enrollment program (CEP) at Herkimer College. Concurrent enrollment programs are cooperative agreements between colleges and high schools that offer high school students the opportunity to take college courses in their high schools. College Now courses are taught by high school instructors who have been recommended by their principals and meet the qualifications required of part-time faculty at Herkimer College. College Now instructors are required to follow the same guidelines, policies, and standards as part-time faculty members who teach on campus. The College Now program is accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). NACEP accredits those partnerships that meet the national standards in five categories: curriculum, students, faculty, assessment and evaluation.

To be eligible to take College Now courses, students must receive approval from their guidance counselors and obtain signatures from their parent/guardian prior to registering. Additionally, students must meet the pre-requisite requirements of certain Herkimer College courses. For more information about the College Now program, call 315-866-0300, extension 8273 or visit www.herkimer.edu/college_now.

Honors Program

The College offers an honors program that provides qualified students with additional opportunities to expand their intellectual and artistic growth and to enrich their individual skills and abilities. The program promotes Herkimer College’s commitment to the pursuit of academic excellence and is available to students in all curricula. Students who successfully complete the Honors Program are given special recognition by the College. The Honors Program enables students who are enrolled full-time to work on an independent project in one-credit courses during two different semesters. The student selects the concentration area in which he/she wants to work independently, and the project is designed by the mentor and the student. During the fourth semester (spring), student must enroll in a required Honors Seminar course. This is a nontraditional, interdisciplinary course that provides students with an opportunity to use a variety of higher level learning techniques and to interact with other students who excel academically. Students in the Honors Program also meet periodically to attend cultural functions and to discuss special topics.

The following requirements should be noted by all students interested in the program:

1. Students who enter college need a high school average of 88 to be eligible for the special section of First-Year Student Seminar. This section will augment the study of the topics by incorporating selected readings and other supporting material. Students will be nurtured for the Honors Program and counseled for entry into the program.
2. Invitation letters will be sent to all students obtaining at least a 3.5 average during their first semester as well as to students who transfer in with at least a 3.5 average.
3. Students applying for the program must complete an application and information sheet each semester. Applications will be evaluated by a reviewing committee to determine if the student will be accepted into the program. All applicants will be notified of committee decisions on acceptance or denial to the program via mail or email.
4. A standard schedule of courses for a particular program as specified in the College catalog must be taken.
5. Credits in Honors courses (notated with the prefix “HP”) must be above and beyond degree requirements listed in the College catalog.
6. A student cannot withdraw from any course.
7. A student with a reduced course load due to enrollment in developmental courses is ineligible to apply for the Honors program during the semester that developmental courses are taken.
8. Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA and an “A” or “B” in all Honors courses (HP 301, HP 302, HP 303) to remain in the program.

Full-time Honors Policy

President's List

The President's List is comprised of all students who have an average of 3.80 or better, with the exception of those who have failures, unresolved incompletes, equivalent credit courses, or have earned less than twelve credits in that semester. The President's List is determined at the end of each semester and is entered on the student's permanent record.  Developmental courses do not count toward the number of hours needed to qualify for the President's List.

Dean's List

The Dean's List is comprised of all students who have an average of 3.25 or better, with the exception of those who have failures, unresolved incompletes, or have earned less than twelve credits in that semester. The Dean's List is determined at the end of each semester and is entered on the student's permanent record.  Developmental courses do not count toward the number of hours needed to qualify for the Dean's List.

Part-time Honors Policy

President's List requirements:

Part-time students will be eligible for President's List honors if they:

1. Have accumulated 15, 30, 45, and/or 60 earned credit hours in residence;
2. Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.80; and
3. Did not have failures or unresolved incomplete (I) grade during the period.

Dean's List requirements:

Part-time students will be eligible for Dean's List honors if they:

1. Have accumulated 15, 30, 45, and/or 60 earned credit hours in residence;
2. Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25; and
3. Did not have failures or unresolved incomplete (I) grade during the period.

Note:  Developmental courses do not count toward the number of hours needed to qualify for the Dean's/President's List.

Senior Status

A student must have earned a minimum of 30 semester credit hours to be considered a senior. However, senior status does not imply that the student will necessarily graduate with the senior class. A typical student would have approximately 30-32 semester credit hours going into the third semester at the College, and would ordinarily need 62-64 semester credit hours in the curriculum to be eligible for graduation at the end of two years at the College.

Graduation with Honors/High Honors/Highest Honors

The requirements for graduation with honors include a 3.25 cumulative average. The requirements for graduation with high honors include a 3.80 cumulative average. The requirements for graduation with highest honors include a 4.0 cumulative average. This designation requires a minimum of 30 semester hours earned at Herkimer College.

Physical Education Requirement

Two credits of physical education activity courses, in two different activities, are required for students in all degree programs. One credit may be granted for participation in a varsity sport as long as the sport end activity are different.  Students who complete their program entirely online may take either HE 130 or HE 121 to satisfy the physical education requirement.

Students may be exempted from required physical education activity courses for certified medical reasons. Documentation from your doctor, stating the specific reason for the exemption and the period of time it covers, must be provided to the Health Office at least one (1) year prior to the anticipated graduation date. In such cases, a minimum of two credits in a non-activity physical education or health course must be completed.

Military veterans may have earned credit and should contact the Registrar.

Matriculation

Matriculation refers to a full-time or part-time student who has successfully satisfied all admission requirements and is officially accepted into a degree or certificate program through the Admissions Office. A full-time matriculated student meets the above-mentioned criteria and registers for 12 or more credit hours. A part-time matriculated student meets the above criteria and registers for less than 12 credit hours.

Registration

Information pertaining to registration is disseminated to all students through various media. Questions regarding registration should be directed to the Registrar’s Office.

Full-time and part-time students registering late will be charged a late registration fee. Instructions for late registration are available at the Registrar’s Office.

Requirements for Degrees and Certificates

1. Satisfactory completion of the minimum number of credits and courses required by the specific program. The student is responsible for registering for the proper courses and for fulfilling all degree requirements as outlined herein.
2. The earning of a 2.00 cumulative quality point average.
3. Payment of all financial obligations.
4. Submission of a Graduation Application and payment of the graduation and alumni fee in the semester prior to the graduation semester, once registration for the graduating semester is completed.

The College holds graduation ceremonies once a year at the end of the spring semester. Students completing requirements at times other than the spring semester will be awarded their diploma or certificate at the  end of their graduating semester once completion of degree requirements have been certified and the diploma or certificate has been received from the vendor.

Prior to commencement, a statement indicating completion of degree or certificate requirements will be issued.

Second Chance Policy

Student Retention and Graduation Rates

The most recent statistics published by SUNY indicate that the percent of Herkimer College’s first time, full time students (Fall 2009) who graduated with a degree in two years is 19.1%. This is significantly higher than the statewide average of 10.5%. After three years, 30.0% of Herkimer College entrants have earned a degree compared to 22.4% at similar institutions statewide.

Retention is a measure of how many first-time, full-time freshmen continue their studies at the college the next fall and is one indicator of persistence of study in their degree fields. The retention rate for Herkimer College has been close to average for similar NYS institutions. The average retention rate (2011) for Herkimer College is 54.3% compared to an average of 58.3% for similar NYS institutions.

Transcripts

Official academic transcripts can be requested through the Registrar’s Office. The fee for a transcript is $5. There is no charge for an unofficial transcript.

Transportation to Field Experiences

Students in some programs may be required to participate in field experiences arranged by the College in local schools, hospitals, social agencies and business establishments. Each student is responsible for arranging and paying the transportation to scheduled off-campus experiences.

Withdrawal from a Course

Students may drop/add courses or make section changes through the third day of classes during the fall and spring semesters for full-term classes. Drop/add for the mini and summer sessions is allowed on the first day of class. Evening class drop/add is allowed up to the second class session. Students may drop/add courses providing space permits. These changes will not appear on an official transcript. Following the official time period for dropping and adding a class, a student may withdraw from a course. This will be noted on an official transcript. Students who do not formally withdraw in the Registrar’s Office will be carried on class rolls, and will receive a failing grade for all assignments and tests not completed. The last date to withdraw formally from a course is the end of the tenth week of classes, or the equivalent time period (67%), in the case of a course of shorter duration than a full semester.

Any adjustments in charges will be based on the date the schedule changes are completed.

Withdrawal from the College

Students wishing to withdrawal from ALL of their classes at Herkimer College during the semester must follow the formal procedure.

 

Procedure to withdraw from classes

1. Obtain the Herkimer College Withdrawal Form from the Bursar's Office.
2. Complete  and sign the withdrawal form.  Return it to the Bursar's Office.
3. If available, the Bursar or Assistant Bursar will counsel you regarding the financial implications of withdrawing from the college.
4. When possible, you will be referred to all relevant offices for required signatures and receive appropriate counseling from those offices.
5. The Registrar will certify the Withdrawal Form.  The official date of withdrawal will be the date which the Registrar certifies the form.

Students who do not follow this procedure will be carried on the College rolls and will receive failing grades for all courses in which work is not completed.  Mere absences from the class does not constitute withdrawal.  Unless you officially withdraw from the College, you will be appropriately graded by your instructors, normally an "F".

The last day to formally withdraw from the College and receive "W" grades is the end of the tenth week of classes, or the equivalent time period (67%), in the case of a course of shorter duration that a full semester.

No partial refund of tuition and fees can be made until a student has officially completed the withdrawal procedure and the withdrawal has been certified by the Registrar.

A hold will be placed on the student records until the College determines that all student financial obligations have been met.  Students receiving federal and/or state financial aid may be subject to reductions in financial aid based upon the last date of attendance and adjusted tuition amounts (when appropriate).

Students Residing in On-Campus Housing

Students living on campus who withdraw, must vacate the residence halls and remove all personal belongings from the premises no later than midnight of the date on which the withdrawal becomes effective.  For regulations governing room refunds and deposits, please refer to the Herkimer Residence Life housing contract.

 

Withdrawal from the College for Medical Reasons

A medical withdrawal is a withdrawal that may be granted due to a substantiated medical concern for an individual registered student or family member.

Students seeking a medical withdrawal for either a medical or psychological concern must provide written medical documentation from the treating licensed healthcare professional as soon as the concern is identified.  Documentation should be submitted to the Registrar, must be legible, on original letterhead and must include:

• Medical/Psychological diagnosis
• Date(s) of treatment including onset
• Treatment Plan (current and ongoing) including medication, referrals, etc.
• Opinion as the student's ability to successfully return to college related activities: academic work, residential life (if applicable), etc.
• Date and signature of the licensed healthcare professional

The medical documentation will be reviewed and a recommendation to either support of deny the medical withdrawal will be provided to the Registrar and student.

All medical documentation is confidential and will only be shared with the student's written permission.  The medical documentation will be retained in the student's file by the Dean of Students.

Herkimer College makes every effort to accommodate requests for a medical withdrawal, however, submission of medical documentation does not guarantee approval.

The Academic Standards and Regulations guidelines will not be applied to any student who has formally withdrawn for a certified medical reason.  However, students who are approved for a medical withdrawal are still liable for incurred charges and may be subject to reductions in financial aid based upon their last date of attendance.

Students Residing in On-Campus Housing

Students living on campus who withdraw must vacate the residence halls and remove all personal belongings from the premises no later than midnight, of the date on which the withdrawal becomes effective.  For regulations governing room refunds and deposits,  please refer to the Herkimer Residence Life housing contract.

Withdrawal for Emergency Active Duty

In the event of a national emergency, students may have responsibilities which supersede their academic obligations to the College. Having produced written proof of such assignment or duty to the Dean of Students, and with the expressed approval of the Provost, each student will be provided with options for withdrawal.