Notification Regarding Death
Date of Current Revision: June 2006
Responsible Office: Office of the President
- PURPOSE
This policy provides for the proper notification to the university community regarding the death of a faculty member, staff member, current student, alumnus, parent, donor, or other individual affiliated with James Madison University. It will facilitate an appropriate response and record the information in university databases.
- AUTHORITY
The Board of Visitors has granted the president the authority to create and manage policies for the effective operation of the university. - DEFINITIONS
None - APPLICABILITY
This policy applies to all James Madison University full and part-time faculty, staff, students and others affiliated with the university. - POLICY
When a vice president is notified that a member of the James Madison University community has died, the university will follow a specific set of procedures for the appropriate response. - PROCEDURES
A member of the university community who learns of the death of a faculty member, staff member, current student, alumnus, parent, donor, or other individual affiliated with the university should notify the following office according to the connection between the university and the decedent:
- Current or former faculty member: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
- Current or former student: Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and University Planning and Analysis
- Current or former staff member: Senior Vice President for Administration & Finance
- Current or former parent, donor, alumnus/a or other external affiliation: Vice President for University Advancement
To facilitate the university's response to the death, the respective vice president will coordinate with the President's Office and communicate with units and departments, as appropriate, for attendance at the funeral or memorial service, correspondence with the family, contribution/donation (i.e., a memorial or scholarship fund), or floral arrangement. The respective vice president may also be involved in the coordination of a campus memorial service based on the wishes of the family.
Individual divisions, departments and offices will coordinate their individual responses and participation as appropriate and will follow university policies.
- RESPONSIBILITIES
It is the responsibility of all members of the university community to notify the appropriate vice president as soon as possible in the event of the death of a member of the university community.
It is the responsibility of the appropriate vice president to coordinate the university's response with the President's Office and to notify the Office of Media Relations.
It is the responsibility of individual units or departments to contact the office of the appropriate vice president before responding to the news of the death and to inform the Office of Media Relations and Vice President for University Advancement of the approved course of action to be followed. - SANCTIONS
None
- EXCLUSIONS
None
- INTERPRETATION
The authority to interpret this policy rests with the president and is generally delegated to the Executive Assistant to the President.
Linwood H. Rose, President
Index of Terms
Death