Grievance Procedures
Hawthorn University seeks to provide a positive learning experience for all students and offers many resources to assist students in meeting their educational goals. In the event that there is a problem or complaint, students are requested to first contact the individual at the school with whom they have an issue. Additional information about the complaint process can be found in the catalog and Student Handbook. Matters that are unable to be resolved directly will be forwarded to Dr. Dorothy Germano, President, and Chief Academic Officer, for further review and hopefully resolution.
The following list is provided to assist you if you have not resolved your complaint or issue directly with Hawthorn University. You may then file a complaint with the appropriate agency in your state of residence.
Students or members of the public may also file a complaint by contacting our accreditation agency at: Distance Education Accrediting Commission 1101 17th Street, N.W., Suite 808 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 234-5100 http://www.deac.org.
| State | State Regulatory Agency |
| Arizona | Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education 1740 W. Adams, Suite 3008, Phoenix, AZ 85007 602-542-5709 https://ppse.az.gov/ |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Division of Higher Education 423 Main Street, Suite 400, Little Rock, AR 72201 501-371-2000 https://www.adhe.edu/ |
| California | California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education P.O. Box 980818, West Sacramento, CA 95798-0818 888-370-7589 https://www.bppe.ca.gov/ |
| Colorado | The Colorado Department of Higher Education 1600 Broadway, Suite 2200, Denver, CO 80202 (303) 862-3001 https://highered.colorado.gov/ |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Office of Higher Education 450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 707, Hartford, CT 06103-1841 Phone: 860-947-1800 http://www.ctohe.org/ |
| Delaware | Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite 2, Dover, DE 19901-3639 1-302-735-4000 https://www.doe.k12.de.us/domain/226 |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Hawaii Post-secondary Education Authorization Program P.O. Box 541, Honolulu, Hawaii 96809 808-586-7327 http://cca.hawaii.gov/hpeap/ |
| Idaho | Idaho State Board of Education 650 West State Street, 3rd Floor, Boise, ID 83702 208-334-2270 https://boardofed.idaho.gov/ |
| Indiana | Board for Proprietary Education Indiana Commission for Higher Education 101 West Ohio Street, Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46204317-232-1033 https://www.in.gov/bpe/ |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education 100 Airport Road, Frankfort, KY 40601 502-573-1555 http://cpe.ky.gov/ |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Board of Regents 1201 N. Third St., Suite 6-200 Baton Rouge, LA 70802 https://regents.la.gov/ |
| Maine | Maine Department of Education 23 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0023 207-624-6600 https://www.maine.gov/doe/home |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211 601-432-6198 http://www.mississippi.edu/mcca/ |
| Missouri | Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development 301 W. High Street, Jefferson City, MO 65102-1469 573-751-2361https://dhewd.mo.gov/ |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education P.O. Box 95005, Lincoln, NE 68509-5005 402-471-2847 https://ccpe.nebraska.gov/ |
| Nevada | Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education 2800 E. St. Louis, Las Vegas, Nevada 89104 702-486-7330 http://cpe.nv.gov/ |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Department of Education 101 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301-3860 603-271-3494 https://www.education.nh.gov/ |
| New Jersey | Office of the Secretary of Higher Education 1 John Fitch Plaza 10th Floor, Trenton, NJ 08625-0542 609-292-4310 https://www.state.nj.us/highereducation/ |
| North Carolina | The University of North Carolina System 910 Raleigh Road Chapel Hill, NC 27514 919-962-1000 https://www.northcarolina.edu/ |
| Ohio | Ohio Department of Higher Education 25 South Front Street, Columbus, OH, 43215 614-466-6000 https://www.ohiohighered.org/ |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Commission on Higher Education 1122 Lady Street Suite 300, Columbia, SC 29201 803-737-2260 https://www.che.sc.gov/ |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Secretary of State – Postsecondary Education 500 East Capitol Avenue Ste 204, Pierre, SD 57501-5070 605.773.3537 https://sdsos.gov/general-information/postsecondary-education/default.aspx |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Higher Education Commission 312 Rosa Parks Ave, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243 615-741-3605 https://www.tn.gov/thec/ |
| Texas | Texas Workforce Commission Attn: Career Schools and Colleges Room 226T 101 E 15th Street, Austin, TX 78778-0001 512-427-6214 https://www.twc.texas.gov/partners/career-schools-colleges-resources |
| Vermont | Vermont Agency of Education 1 National Life Drive, Davis 5, Montpelier, VT 05620-2501 802-828-1130 https://education.vermont.gov/ |
| Virginia | State Council of Higher Education for Virginia 101 N. 14th Street, 10th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219 804-225-2600 https://www.schev.edu/ |
| Washington | Washington Student Achievement Council 917 Lakeridge Way SW, Olympia, WA 98502 360-753-7800 https://wsac.wa.gov/ |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission 1018 Kanawha Boulevard, East – Suite 700, Charleston, WV 25301 304-558-2101 http://www.wvhepc.edu/ |