Policy #1315
Notification Regarding Death

Date of Current Revision: May, 2008
Responsible Office: Office of the President

1. PURPOSE

This policy provides for the proper notification to the university community regarding the death of a member of the University community. It will facilitate an appropriate response and record the information in university databases.

2. AUTHORITY

The Board of Visitors has granted the president the authority to create and manage policies for the effective operation of the university.

3. DEFINITIONS

Member of the University Community: For the purposes of this policy, a faculty member, staff member, student, alumnus, parent, donor, or other individual affiliated with the university.

4. APPLICABILITY

This policy applies to all members of the university community.

5. POLICY

The university wishes to respond appropriately when it is notified of the death of a member of the university community. 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.

6. 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 Senior 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: Appropriate senior vice president
  • Current or former parent, donor, alumnus/a or other external affiliation: Senior Vice President for University Advancement

The vice president will verify the information, as appropriate. Notification will be forwarded from the vice president to the president’s office, Public Affairs, and the other vice presidents.

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. The vice president shall make sure the appropriate offices on campus are notified of the death.

Individual divisions, departments and offices will coordinate their individual responses and participation as appropriate and will follow university policies.

7. 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 Public Affairs.

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.

8. SANCTIONS

None

9. EXCLUSIONS

None

10. INTERPRETATION

The authority to interpret this policy rests with the president and is generally delegated to the Executive Assistant to the President.

Previous version: June, 2006
Approved by the President: August, 2003

Index of Terms

Death

 

Policy 1315 PDF Version