English 
Students have the right to request a review of academic and non-academic policies, programs, or incidents that are of a grievous nature and do not pertain to any other specific University policy. Issues involving sexual harassment and grades are dealt with through separate policies.
A grievance report (see criteria below) should be submitted to the Academic Dean if it is within one week of the reported incident. An initial effort will be made, within one week, to resolve the issue through dialogue and mutual consent. If this process does not provide for satisfactory resolution, a grievance committee will be formed and the matter will be forwarded to it.
Within one week of receipt, the grievance committee will review the issues outlined and will determine whether there is sufficient cause to warrant a committee hearing.
Should the determination be made that a hearing is warranted, the hearing will be held within two weeks from the committee’s receipt of the documentation.
The grievance committee will be appointed as needed, and will be composed of representatives from various University divisions, departments, and constituencies including, but not limited to, the Director of Academic Advising, program administrators, and program faculty. If appropriate, the University Judicial Council or the conflict resolution procedures may be used.
Grievance criteria:
1 – Must be in written form.
2 – Must be dated and signed.
3 – Must contain specific details as to what the complaint is about and what results are requested.
William Woods students enrolled in online and distance courses, as well as on-campus courses, should attempt to resolve complaints by following Campus Academic Grievance Procedure as outlined in the current Academic Catalog. If a student enrolled in online or distance courses has exhausted this process and questions remain, the student should direct his or her questions to the SARA State Portal Entity contact. Information on contacting that person can be found by visiting this webpage: https://nc-sara.org/state-portal-entity-contacts/. A student may contact either the Missouri SPE or the SPE of their home state.
William Woods University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. For information regarding an accreditation complaint please consult the Higher Learning Commission website at http://www.ncahlc.org/Information-for-the-Public/complaints.html.
Their contact information is as follows:
The Higher Learning Commission,
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500,
Chicago, Illinois 60604-1413,
Phone: 800.621.7440 / 312.263.0456.
Fax: 312.263.7462
[email protected]