Student Promotion Policies and Procedures

Download a PDF of the Student Promotion Policy and Procedures

Approved 25 Aug 2010; Revised and Approved by SoP Faculty & Staff on February 14, 2023

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I. STUDENT PROMOTION & ACADEMIC REVIEW COMMITTEE

Responsibilities The Student Promotion and Academic Review Committee (SPARC) is responsible for defining academic and nonacademic standards required for entrance to, continuation in, and graduation from the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy (SOP), for developing policies and procedures to maintain these standards, and for applying these policies and procedures to address circumstances where professional students are thought not to meet these standards. These actions are undertaken with appropriate approval from the faculty and academic staff of the SOP.Responsibilities of the Student Promotion and Academic Review Committee are to:
1. Interpret, review and recommend revision of the Student Promotion and Academic Review Policies and Procedures
2. Review the academic progress of students not meeting SOP Academic Standards
3. Review allegations of students violating the SOP Professional Behavior Code
4. Determine the appropriate conditions and/or sanctions in cases involving unsatisfactory academic progress or unprofessional behavior
5. Review the progress of students who have previously received a Must Obtain Permission to Continue (MOPTC) academic action. Students may be required to meet with SPARC to discuss their academic progress
6. Consider requests for reduced credit loads that may change a student’s graduation date.
7. Consider requests for a Leave of Absence.
8. Report to the Dean of the School of Pharmacy, the faculty, and academic staff regarding committee activities.
Membership
1. There are at least eight voting members appointed by the Dean of the School of Pharmacy (Dean) or their designee. The Dean also appoints the non-voting members and resource persons. The committee chairs (the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs) and the vice chair are appointed by the Dean and are non-voting members.
2. Voting members are selected from the faculty and instructional academic staff of the SOP, and pharmacists from the community. Non-voting members and resource persons may be selected from the SOP or from other campus units.
3. Each member’s (voting, non-voting, and resource) appointment term is determined at the time of the appointment and may be renewed by the Dean or designee. Temporary or replacement members by be appointed on an ad hoc basis.
4. The committee may invite other persons to participate in committee activities in an advisory, non-voting capacity.
Quorum
1. For addressing policy matters, a simple majority of at least five (5) voting members constitutes a quorum.
2. For addressing any individual student case, SPARC will be composed of a minimum of five (5) voting members. If a quorum is not established, the student will be informed and presented with two options:
  1. Agree to waive quorum rights thereby accepting the decision of voting members present as binding; or
  2. Accept motions and decision made via email voting of a quorum of committee members
Access to Student Records by SPARC
SPARC is authorized to review all necessary educational records and data pertaining to a student that is referrered to the committee. This includes referrals involving academic standing, alleged academic misconduct and alleged unprofessional behavior.

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II. ACADEMIC STANDARDS

Requirements
1. Overview
  This Policy is administered by the Student Promotion and Academic Review Committee (SPARC), with the assistance of School of Pharmacy (SOP) faculty and Office of Student Affairs (OSS) staff. Academic advisors monitor the academic progress of students including periodic contact with the students and their instructors.The actions of SPARC include:
  1. Determining whether a student who has encountered academic difficulties may continue in the SOP and, if so, establish standards for continuation
  2. Identifying specific factors and behaviors that caused or contributed to a student’s academic difficulties
  3. Discussing with a student the reality of their academic situation and the appropriateness of their educational expectations and goals
  4. Referring a student to appropriate resources that will help them discover and remedy the causes of their unsatisfactory academic performance
2. Good Academic Standing
  To be in good academic standing in the School of Pharmacy, a student must meet the following requirements. Student classification is determined by graduation date.Students will be considered in good standing if they have:
  1. semester GPA of 2.0 or above for the DPH-1 year
  2. or a 2.25 or higher GPA in the DPH-2 and DPH-3 years; and
  3. no grade less than C in any course; and no more than one C per term in APPE rotations during the DPH-4 year
Failure to maintain Good Academic Standing
A student who fails to maintain good academic standing as defined herein will be issued Must Obtain Permission To Continue (MOPTC) academic action and must appear before SPARC to be considered for continued enrollment in the school.
1. A representative of SPARC will send emails to students notifying them of their academic status, the MOPTC academic actions, and policies of SPARC.
2. A MOPTC academic action will be posted on the student’s unofficial UW–Madison transcript indicating poor academic standing.
3. A student must appear before SPARC to be considered for continued enrollment in the SOP. Before meeting with SPARC, the student must submit an Academic Success Plan which is shared with committee members. If a student chooses not to meet with SPARC, the committee will discuss the student in their absence and will make decisions without student input.
4. Selected course instructors will be asked to provide information for SPARC regarding student’s academic performance and ability. SPARC may consider pre‐School of Pharmacy grades, academic performance in the SOP, professional behavior, and personal issues in its deliberations.
5. The student’s academic advisor will present the student’s case and academic records to committee members. Relevant staff and faculty members may be asked to attend the meeting and may present information.
6. The student must attend the SPARC meeting and may offer relevant information, including presenting witnesses. If the student wants to provide any additional information, copies of the materials and names of wintesses must be provided to the Vice-chair no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting with SPARC. The student may also question any witness presented by the chairs.
7. The student may be accompanied by one advocate, which may be an attorney. The student must speak for themselves including questioning of witnesses, even if an advocate attends.
8. The meeting will not be bound by common law or statutory rules of evidence and may admit information having reasonable probative value, but will exclude immaterial, irrelevant, or unduly repetitious testimony, and will give effect to recognized legal privileges.
9. SPARC will make a record (audio recording and/or transcribed notes) of the meeting. Any party to the meeting may obtain copies of the record at his or her expense, subject to applicable state and federal statutes, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Wisconsin public records and open meetings laws.
10. SPARC deliberations and actions will be in closed session. Only voting, non-voting, and resource staff members may be present during the closed session, including legal counsel to SPARC.
11. Decisions are made by a majority of at least five (5) voting members present. The co-chairs and vice-chair are non-voting members.
12. The decision of SPARC will be delivered in writing to the student’s UW–Madison assigned email address. The chairs, vice-chair, and the student’s academic advisors will receive copies of the decision.
13. If permission to continue is granted, SPARC will prepare a plan for the student’s continued progress in the school. This may include an extension of the student’s academic program and a delay of graduation. The student will be notified in writing of the plan and must reply in writing that he or she understands and accepts the provisions of the plan.
14. If permission to continue is not granted, an academic action of dismissal will be posted on the official UW–Madison transcript. The student will be notified in writing of the decision and will be advised that he or she may appeal the decision as outlined in Section III.B.
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Additional Program Requirements
1. To be able to progress on to DPH-3 courses, a student must successfully complete all required coursework from the DPH-1 and DPH-2 years. A student cannot progress on to DPH-3 courses if required coursework needs to be repeated from the prior years.
2. To be able to progress on to APPEs, a student must have successfully completed all required DPH-1, DPH-2 and DPH-3 courses. A student needs to be on track to meet the minimum required professional elective credits.
3. PharmD students need to complete the program within six (6) years (or within two (2) rounds of APPE sign ups) to be eligible for graduation.
4. A student who received a MOPTC academic action in a previous semester may be required to meet with SPARC to discuss their academic progress.
5. Until a student returns to good academic standing, students who receive MOPTC academic actions are:
  1. Not permitted to hold office in any SOP student organization
  2. Required to obtain permission from SPARC to apply for, or to continue in, a Scholars in Pharmacy program
  3. Ineligible to participate in international or residency track (APPE RT) APPEs
6. Any student who receives a grade(s) of Incomplete must finish all remaining course requirements prior to the end of the fourth week of classes during the next semester of residence at UW–Madison, unless an extension has been granted by the faculty or one of the chairs of SPARC. If courses are not completed by that time, the grade of Incomplete will lapse to a grade of F. Students then must meet with SPARC to address their failure to meet the academic standards.
7. A student may be allowed to drop a required DPH-1, DPH-2 or DPH-3 course(s) only with permission of the SPARC chairs in consultation with the course coordinator(s) and the student’s academic advisor (see PharmD Policy Handbook for policy and form for requesting permission to add or drop courses).
  1. If the approved drop occurs prior to the initial university drop deadline during the fall or spring term, the course will not appear on a student’s transcript.
  2. If the approved drop occurs after the initial university drop deadline during the fall or spring term, the course will appear on a student’s transcript with DR (dropped) in place of the grade.
  3. For the purposes of assessing minimum standards for academic progress within the SOP, any required course dropped without permission of the SPARC chairs will be treated as a failing grade (F) as described in this policy.
8. Students who are not in good academic standing may not receive term credit overrides, as stipulated in the PharmD Policy Handbook.
9. Students who received two (2) or more grades less than C, if allowed to continue in the program, will be required to repeat these courses.
10. Students who receive a grade less than C twice in the same course will be dismissed from the SOP without the opportunity to appeal.
11. Students who receive a MOPTC action three (3) times will be dismissed from the SOP without the opportunity to appeal.
12. Students will not be allowed to graduate until all conditions of continuation set by SPARC have been satisfied.
13. Student who are dismissed from the SOP for any reason have the option to reapply under the current readmission policy.
14. Students who have been dismissed or have withdrawn from the SOP and subsequently readmitted will be subject to the current curriculum and regulations on academic performance and dismissal. Readmitted students must meet all requirements under the current readmission policy as well as prior conditions of continuation set by SPARC.
Returning to Good Academic Standing
A student returns to good academic standing by:
1. Successfully completing all courses required for remediation (such as repeating courses in which they received a grade less than C)
2. Meeting the relevant academic standards specified in Section II.A.2.a for a minimum of two semesters that count toward degree completion or graduating from the program prior to completion of two semesters
3. Meeting all other conditions of continuation set by SPARC.
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Appeal Process
1. A student may appeal the decision of SPARC to the Dean of the SOP. Appeals will be in writing and be received within five (5) calendar days of receipt of SPARC’s written decision. Students who receive a MOPTC action three (3) times will be dismissed from the SOP without the opportunity to appeal.
2. For an appeal to be considered further, students must state the basis for appeal and provide documentation relevant to the basis of the appeal. Bases for appeal are limited to:
  1. new facts that were not available at the time of the SPARC meeting and have direct bearing on the academic performance;
  2. a claim of inadequate consideration of specific information by SPARC;
  3. a claim that SPARC did not follow procedures established in this policy or based its decision on factors proscribed by state or federal law; or
  4. a claim that SPARC’s action was unduly severe.
3. The burden of proof will be on the student to demonstrate that the SPARC decision was biased to a significant degree.
4. The Dean’s review of the decision is based on the record of the meeting (audio recording and/or transcribed notes). The Dean may take any of the following actions on the appeal:
  1. Sustain the SPARC’s decision
  2. Modify the action recommended by the SPARC
  3. Reverse the decision of SPARC on the grounds of the appeal
  4. Remand the matter for further consideration by the SPARC
5. The Dean’s decision will be delivered in writing to the student’s UW–Madison assigned email address. The chairs, vice-chair, and the student’s academic advisors will receive copies of the decision. The Dean’s decision is final.

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III. PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR STANDARDS

Requirements
1. Overview
  All School of Pharmacy (SOP) students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of professional behavior and ethics. Students must avoid even an appearance of improper behavior or lack of ethical standards, in all professional settings, and in their personal lives. Students must conduct themselves according to the standards expected of members of the professional community to which they aspire.All SOP students are subject to the rules and regulations contained in UWS 14, 17 and 18 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code that govern student academic and nonacademic disciplinary procedures and conduct on university land, and to all other applicable state and federal laws. Violation of the Wisconsin Administrative Code may result in university disciplinary action including disciplinary probation, suspension or expulsion.In addition to the academic requirements outlined in section III.A., students must adhere to the SOP Professional Behavior Code, Class Honor Codes, the American Pharmacists Association Code of Ethics and Professionalism, and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Oath of a Pharmacist. A pharmacist is characterized in The Oath of a Pharmacist as devoting “a lifetime of service to others through the profession of pharmacy.” This oath demands a pharmacist hold them self and colleagues to “the highest principles of our profession’s moral, ethical, and legal conduct.”Therefore, unprofessional behavior towards patients, faculty, residents, teaching assistants, staff, peers, other professionals, and the public are significant issues in the evaluation and promotion of SOP students. These factors will be considered in the grading and promotion process while students are enrolled in the SOP. Inappropriate behavior may be grounds for failure to promote, dismissal and/or denial of the degree. Separate and apart from a violation of the Professional Behavior Code, students also may face university disciplinary action, as noted above, with regard to the same action.
  
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2. Professional Behavior Code
  1. PreambleA degree from UW–Madison SOP means that the graduate has demonstrated intellectual honesty, exemplary moral and ethical character, responsible and civil attitude towards patients, faculty, residents, teaching assistants, staff, peers, other professionals, and the public with a strong sense of personal integrity. The purpose of this code is to create a basic framework to assist SOP students in learning to make ethical decisions in the didactic and clinical environments.
  2. Guidelines and ResponsibilitiesThe following are professional behavior guidelines and responsibilities that UW–Madison SOP expects of its students. Examples of violations of the Professional Behavior Code that could lead to a review by the Student Promotion and Academic Review Committee (SPARC) are intended as illustrations and are not all-inclusive. Furthermore, not all violations are considered to be equal such that, in determining the appropriate sanction(s), violations will be penalized in accord with their severity. Every attempt will be made to fairly and consistently apply the Professional Behavior Code.
    1. Interpersonal Relationships
      Students will communicate with and treat patients, faculty, residents, teaching assistants, staff, peers, other professionals, and the public in a professional manner. This includes addressing them appropriately, respecting individual rights to hold opinions that differ from their own, and promoting a positive climate. Students will treat all confidential information in an appropriate manner. Patient records and all conversations between students and patients are considered confidential and will not be disclosed or made available to any person not directly involved in patients’ care.
    2. Honesty and Integrity
      Students will act with a consistency of action that exemplifies truthfulness and accountability. With all members of the University community, students are responsible for upholding and maintaining an honest academic environment and for reporting when dishonesty is thought to have occurred. Students will comply with all relevant conflict of interest policies.
    3. Dress and Attire
      Students are required to adhere to all course and SOP policies regarding dress and attire.
    4. Responsibility and Judgment
      Students are expected to meet their educational and clinical responsibilities at all times. While personal issues that conflict or interfere with such obligations can arise, every effort must be made by students to resolve the conflict in a professional manner. Students must comply with all school and university policies, individual course syllabi, course manuals and site-specific policies. Students may not participate in any educational activities while under the influence of alcohol or any psychoactive substances, unless the use of such a substance is under the order of a licensed health care provider.
    5. Use of Technology
      Students must comply with all applicable laws as well as with all University and SOP policies. They must exercise professional judgment when using information technology and take full responsibility for all electronic materials that they publish, transmit or possess. See the SOP Social Media policy for more specific information.
  3. Reporting of Violations
    Students who are arrested for any reason, cited for behavior that involves alcohol or other drugs, or sanctioned by the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards for academic or non-academic misconduct, are required to inform the Associate Dean for Student Affairs within 14 calendar days of the incident. Failure to do so is a violation of this Professional Behavior Code and may result in SOP sanctions.
  4. Code of Ethics
    It is expected that all students adhere to the (1) Code of Ethics for Pharmacists, (2) Oath of a Pharmacist, and (3) Pledge of Professionalism.
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Addressing Alleged Failure to Meet the Professional Behavior Code
1. Allegations of Unprofessional Behavior
  1. Patients, faculty, residents, teaching assistants, staff, peers, other professionals, and the public who believe that a student has failed to adhere to the Professional Behavior Code must contact the Associate Dean for Student Affairs within a reasonable time of learning of the alleged failure. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs will advise the alleging party of the appropriate university and SOP procedure that may apply to the situation.
    1. If appropriate, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs will instruct the alleging party to prepare a written statement describing the alleged failure of the student to adhere to the Professional Behavior Code. This statement, along with any supporting materials, must be submitted within five (5) calendar days of the issuance of the instructions.
    2. A student who is alleged to have violated the Professional Behavior Code will be notified in writing by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. The Associate Dean will schedule a meeting with the student to discuss the allegations, the vice-chair will advise the student regarding the investigation and review process.
  2. Following investigation and review of all available information, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs will determine whether the allegations potentially violate the Professional Behavior Code. If so, the Associate Dean will send a letter to the student explaining the findings of the investigation and decision. Potential outcomes are:
    1. Reprimand (oral or written) presented to the student with a written account of their meeting to be included in the student’s files.
    2. Convene SPARC to hear the case. The hearing will follow the procedures outlined below.
  3. If a reprimand is issued, students may appeal this decision to SPARC. The appeal will follow the procedures outlined below.
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2. Hearing Alleged Unprofessional Behavior Cases
  1. A representative of SPARC will send emails to students notifying them of their alleged violation of the Professional Behavior Code and policies of SPARC.
  2. The student’s academic advisor or chair will present the case to committee members. Relevant staff and faculty members may be asked to attend the meeting and may present information. SPARC may consider pre‐School of Pharmacy grades, academic performance in the SOP, professional behavior, and personal issues in its deliberations.
  3. The student must appear before SPARC and may offer relevant information, including presenting witnesses. If a student chooses not to meet with SPARC, the committee will discuss the student in their absence and will make decisions without student input.
  4. If the student wishes to present any additional information, copies of the materials and the names of witnesses must be provided to the vice-chair no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting with SPARC.
  5. The student may be accompanied by one advocate, which may be an attorney. The student must speak for themselves, including questioning of witnesses, even if an advocate attends.
  6. The meeting will not be bound by common law or statutory rules of evidence and may admit information having reasonable probative value, but will exclude immaterial, irrelevant, or unduly repetitious testimony, and will give effect to recognized legal privileges.
  7. SPARC will make a record (audio recording and/or transcribed notes) of the meeting. Any party to the meeting may obtain copies of the record at their expense, subject to applicable state and federal statutes, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Wisconsin public records and open meetings laws.
  8. SPARC will have access to all relevant school records of the student alleged to have failed to adhere to the Professional Behavior Code.
  9. SPARC deliberations and actions will be in closed session. Only voting, non-voting, and resource staff members may be present during the closed session, including legal counsel to SPARC.
  10. Decisions are made by a majority of at least five (5) voting members present. The chairs and vice-chair are non‐voting members.
  11. If SPARC finds that the student has violated the Professional Behavior Code committee members may take into account prior incidences when determining appropriate sanction(s). Previous allegations of unprofessional behavior and academic or nonacademic misconduct brought to the attention of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, but not requiring review by SPARC, may be taken into consideration.
  12. Sanctions that may be imposed for unprofessional behavior include:
    1. Written reprimand
    2. Denial of specified SOP privilege(s) – (see also II.C.5 and II.C.1)
    3. Imposition of reasonable terms and conditions on continued student status
    4. SOP disciplinary suspension or probation, during which time remedial activities may be prescribed as a condition of continuation
    5. Restitution
    6. Removal of student from course(s) in progress
    7. Failure to promote
    8. Withdrawal of an offer of admission
    9. Dismissal from the SOP
  13. If any or all of sanctions 3-8 are imposed on a student a MOPTC academic action will be posted on the student’s unofficial UW–Madison transcript indicating poor professional standing.
  14. Written findings of fact and a written statement of SPARC’s decision will be based upon the record of the meeting (audio recording and/or transcribed notes). The written decision will include notification that the student may appeal the decision to the Dean if eligible.
  15. The decision of SPARC will be delivered in writing to the student’s UW–Madison assigned email address.
  16. The chairs, vice-chair, and the student’s academic advisors will receive copies of the decision.
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Returning to Good Professional Standing
1. Until a student returns to good professional standing, a student who violates the Professional Behavior Code is:
  1. Not permitted to hold office in any SOP student organization
  2. Not permitted to represent the SOP in any non-course related capacity, including serving as a Student Ambassador
  3. Required to obtain permission from SPARC to apply for, or to continue in, a Scholars in Pharmacy program
  4. Ineligible to participate in international and residency track (APPE RT) APPEs
  5. Ineligible for school‐associated travel scholarship funding to attend professional meetings
2. A student found to have violated the Professional Behavior Code by SPARC will return to good professional standing when they:
  1. Meet all Professional Behavior Standards for two (2) semesters that count toward degree completion, If sanctions imposed by SPARC include suspension from the program, the two semesters commence when the student returns to the program, or the student graduates from the program prior to completion of two semesters.
  2. Meet all other conditions of continuation set by SPARC.
3. If a student has violated UWS 14, 17 and/or 18 they will return to good professional standing when they meet all conditions set by the relevant course instructor(s) and/or the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards.
Appeal process
1. A student may appeal the decision of SPARC to the Dean of the SOP. Appeals will be in writing and must be received within five (5) calendar days of receipt of SPARC’s written decision. Students who receive a MOPTC action three (3) times will be dismissed from the SOP without the opportunity to appeal.
2. For an appeal to be considered further, students must state the basis for appeal and provide documentation relevant to the basis of the appeal. Bases for appeal are limited to:
  1. new facts that were not available at the time of the SPARC meeting and have direct bearing on academic performance;
  2. a claim of inadequate consideration of specific information by SPARC;
  3. a claim that SPARC did not follow procedures established in this policy or based its decision on factors proscribed by state or federal law; or
  4. a claim that SPARC’s action was unduly severe.
3. The burden of proof will be on the student to demonstrate that the SPARC decision was biased to a significant degree.
4. The Dean’s review of the decision is based on the record of the meeting (audio recording and/or transcribed notes). The Dean may take any of the following actions on the appeal:
  1. Sustain SPARC’s decision
  2. Modify the action recommended by SPARC
  3. Reverse the decision of SPARC on the grounds of the appeal
  4. Remand the matter for further consideration by SPARC
5. The Dean’s decision will be delivered in writing to the student’s UW–Madison assigned email address. The chairs, vice-chair, and the student’s academic advisors will receive copies of the decision. The Dean’s decision is final.
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I. STUDENT PROMOTION & ACADEMIC REVIEW COMMITTEE

2. ACADEMIC STANDARDS

3. PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR STANDARDS

I. STUDENT PROMOTION & ACADEMIC REVIEW COMMITTEE

II. ACADEMIC STANDARDS

III. PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR STANDARDS

PharmD Handbook Sections