MSU Conduct Guidelines

 The complete set of MSU conduct guidelines and grievance procedures can be found in the Conduct Guidelines and Grievance Procedures for Students chapter of the MSU Policies and Procedures webpage.

Education Conduct Guidelines

The Department of Education expects students to meet the Department of Education’s Professional Competencies and Dispositions for Professional Educators.

Faculty who feel a student is failing to meet either the competencies or dispositions is required to have a conversation with the student identifying their concern and the reasons for the concern. Faculty are encouraged to reach out to any or all members of the Department of Education’s Student Success Team can assist with these conversations, or contact them regarding any other question or concern about student behavior, either positive or negative. 

The Student Success Team is comprised of:

Ann Ewbank – ann.ewbank@montana.edu

Cyndi Meldahl – cmeldahl@montana.edu

John Melick – john.melick@montana.edu

Gini Mohr – virginia.mohr@montana.edu

 If the student’s behavior persists after an initial conversation, instructors, field supervisors, or others may use the Department’s Student Consultation Form to address such issues. Continued failure to meet the expectations may result in the student being placed on a Professional Improvement Plan.

 The complete set of MSU/Education conduct guidelines and grievance procedures is spelled out at the Student Success Procedures webpage.

Contact Ann Ewbank, Director of Accreditation and Operations at 406-994-5788 or ann.ewbank@montana.edu for assistance with student issues, a Student Consultation Form or Professional Improvement Plan, both of which are found on the Education Department's Student Success Procedures page.  Further detail follows:

Opportunities for Student Growth

 There are three levels of support offered for student growth: 

  • Documenting a Conversation:In some cases a faculty member may wish to document a conversation with a student. 
  • Student Consultation Form:Students who continue to struggle with meeting   these expectations will receive a warning. If you have ongoing thoughts about a students’ progress please consult with someone from the Student Success Team.  Faculty members, field supervisors, or other clinical faculty should use the Department’s  Student Consultation Form to address such issues after consulting the Student Support Team. 
  • Professional Improvement Plan:If a student continues to experience difficulty, she or he may be placed on a Professional Improvement Plan as follows: 
  • The faculty or staff member identifies the area(s) for improvement and contacts the Student Support Team to identify a remediation plan.
  • If, after consultation, agreement about the area(s) for improvement in need of remediation, or the manner in which the problem will be addressed, cannot be reached, the student may meet with:
  • The Director of Field Placement & Licensure (in the case of concerns arising from field experience or student teaching experience), or
  • The Education Department Head (in all other cases)
  • The Department Head or Director of Field Placement & Licensure will issue a written confirmation of their decision for remediation.  
  • In the course of any Professional Improvement Plan, sanctions may be imposed by the Department Head (e.g. oral or written reprimand; special, additional, or repeat assignments; reduced or failing course grade; or removal from the program).  Decisions concerning any improvement plan, including sanctions, are subject to the Student Academic Grievance Procedure (sect. 500 of the conduct guidelines and grievance procedures for students)

Documentation of the Professional Improvement Plan is retained by the Department Head until the student’s graduation. 

Student of Excellence 

Students who exceed expectations are eligible to be nominated for the TEP Student of Excellence Award. Nominees will be recognized by the Education Department Head, and one student per semester will be selected for additional recognition from other College-level leadership. All students who are recognized will be invited to the TEP Induction and Student Teacher send-off event to be recognized publicly for their great work. To recognize a student, pleasesend an email to John Melick.

HHD Conduct Guidelines

In the Department of Health and Human Development, we have students who are working with many vulnerable populations across the lifespan. Therefore, each program in the department has developed guidelines and expectations for student conduct in their unique discipline area. For example, Health & Human Performance has guidance for syllabi to note that "students are not allowed to drop 300 and 400-level KIN classes after the last day of add drop without demonstrating to the EHHD Assistant Dean/Director of Students Kayte Kaminski that they have special circumstances."  This is to better accommodate course waiting lists.

If you have concerns regarding a student’s performance and/or behavior in your course, contact the Department Head Rebecca Koltz at 406-994-3244 or rebecca.koltz@montana.edu, and/or please reach out to your Team Coordinator and/or Program Leader to discuss your concerns and develop a plan for the student.