Dominican University New York is committed to providing high-quality education and student support. All students are encouraged to communicate concerns so they can be addressed fairly and effectively.
Institutional Procedure:
- Dominican University New York’s Academic appeals process is outlined in the Student Handbook, pages 35-39. Students seeking an appeal or filing a complaint must initiate the process by communicating the complaint or making the appeal to the director of the program in which the student is enrolled.
- The process for addressing complaints and appeals related to student conduct may also be found in the Student Handbook, page 92. Appeals of the decision or sanction related to student conduct must be initiated by the student, in writing via email to the appeal officer listed in their student outcome letter.
- Complaints and appeals that are not resolved through the processes outlined in the Student Handbook, should be directed to the Vice President for Academic Affairs / Academic Dean at academicdeansoffice@duny.edu.
SARA Complaint Process:
The complaint and appeals processes within the University are outlined above. Students enrolled in online programs offered by Dominican University, who reside in states other than New York and have complaints about said programs should contact the director of the program in which the student is enrolled and the acting Vice President for Academic Affairs / Academic Dean (kevin.hermberg@duny.edu).
Students enrolled in online programs offered by Dominican University, who reside in states other than New York have specific consumer protection rights under the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). NC-SARA consumer protection provisions require the institution’s home state, through its SARA State Portal Entity, to investigate and resolve allegations of dishonesty or fraudulent activity by the state’s SARA-participating institutions. Please note that SARA policies do not cover complaints related to grades or student conduct violations (for which the complaints and appeals processes are outlined in the Student Handbook).
Student complaints relating to consumer protection laws offered under the terms and conditions of the SARA, must first be filed with the institution to seek resolution. The complaint and appeals processes within the University are outlined via the links above. Students have the right to appeal the University’s decision to the SARA State Portal Entity in New York State within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made.
Steps for filing a complaint (non-NYS Residents)
1. Attempt Resolution at the Institutional Level.
Complaints relating to grades or the academic process are advised to follow the procedures noted above and outlined in the Student Handbook.
Students with complaints outside of the academic process that are specifically related to NC-SARA policies should be directed to Dr. Kevin Hermberg, acting Vice President for Academic Affairs / Academic Dean (kevin.hermberg@duny.edu).
2. File a Complaint with the NYS Office of College and University Evaluation.
If all institutional procedures have been followed, all avenues of appeal exhausted, and documentation provided that such procedures have been exhausted and the matter remains unresolved, then the student has the right to file a complaint with the NYS Office of College and University Evaluation.
A student may appeal the institution’s decision to the SARA State Portal Entity in New York State within two years of the incident about which the complaint is made.
New York State SARA Portal Entity
Andrea RichardsSupervisor of Higher Education Programs
IHEauthorize@nysed.gov
518.474.1551
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Ave
Albany, NY 12234 United States
To learn more about filing a complaint through the SARA complaint process, visit https://nc-sara.org/sara-student-complaints-0/.
Students with questions or concerns about the complaint and appeals processes should contact Mary McLean, IT Program Coordinator and Faculty at mary.mclean@duny.edu or Kevin Hermberg, acting Vice President for Academic Affairs / Academic Dean at kevin.hermberg@duny.edu.