Academic Integrity Policy

The Academic Integrity Policy defines the University’s expectations for academic honesty and our procedures for addressing academic misconduct. When we, as a members of the university community, maintain the highest standards of academic integrity, we ensure the value of our educational process and the credibility of a Franklin Pierce University education.

Academic integrity is built upon the values of honesty, fairness, social responsibility, and ethical behavior. These principles are at the core of a Franklin Pierce education. Academic misconduct is an action or attempted action that violates those values and creates an unfair advantage for a student; such an action strikes at the heart of the academic enterprise. The Academic Integrity Policy, the full text of which is available here, defines academic misconduct and the procedures for responding to such misconduct. This includes when and how an instructor should report a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy, penalties that will be applied when a student is found responsible for academic misconduct, and the appeal process if a student wishes to contest a report or a sanction for alleged academic misconduct.

Consequences for Academic Misconduct: 

1. The penalty for a student’s first incident of academic misconduct will be decided by the instructor, with mandatory reporting to the University Provost.
2. After a second incident of academic misconduct, a student will be suspended for one semester or one term. The suspension begins at the start of the semester or term following the conclusion of the process resulting in the finding of academic misconduct.
3. After a third incident of academic misconduct, a student will be dismissed (permanently separated) from the university.

Email and Electronic Signatures

The University maintains email accounts for all students and therefore, does not save student’s personal email accounts. The University uses the Franklin Pierce email account as an official means of communication with students. University staff, faculty and departments will communicate to students directly through Franklin Pierce email and in many instances will consider this email correspondence as the student’s. Faculty may communicate to an entire class of students in the same email and may expect students to signature reply in kind. Students are responsible for maintaining their University email account so that it is open for new mail and are expected to read their University email regularly and respond appropriately. If students choose to forward their University email to another email provider, they are still responsible for receiving all University communications.