Letter of Recommendation

Letter of Recommendation/Verbal Reference Release

Requests from current and former students for letters of recommendation and verbal references are commonplace for faculty, administrators, and other staff at the college. The recommendation can support admission to an educational institution, potential employment opportunities, military entrance, scholarship eligibility, or other purposes.

Statements made by a person providing a recommendation or verbal reference based on that individual’s personal observation or knowledge do not require a written release from the student who is making the request. Examples of personal observations may include remarks such as the student's work ethic, punctuality, dependability, creativity, and cooperation, to name a few.

However, if non-directory, personally identifiable information (PII) obtained from a student’s education record or other forms of evaluative material is included in the letter of recommendation or verbal reference, the writer must obtain a signed release from the student. Non-directory PII may include items such as the student’s courses, grades, grade point average, or examination results. The writer is required to obtain a signed release from the student. The release form

authorizes the individual who is to provide the recommendation,
specifies the records that may be disclosed,
states the purpose of the disclosure,
and identifies the recipient(s) to whom the disclosure can be made.

Additionally, the student has the right to read the letter of recommendation unless the student has waived that right.

Manhattan Tech employees who write letters of recommendation or provide verbal references that may include information from a student’s educational record should instruct the student to complete the Letter of Recommendation/Verbal Reference Release form. By completing the form, the student has the opportunity to specify the type of information that can be included in the recommendation. The employee providing the recommendation may then opt to include some or all of the authorized information and provide personal observations about the student. If the student does not indicate which information may be disclosed, then only personal observations may be given, and no information from the student's education record may be included without the student’s permission.

The form also allows the student to waive the right to review a copy of the letter of recommendation provided by the employee. At any point in the future, the student may revoke the waiver to review a recommendation, but only those requests for recommendation provided on or after the date the revocation was signed and dated by the student. The revocation must be written to the Registrar and signed by the student.

Form Request Process and Retention

Speak with the Manhattan Tech Employee

The student should first speak with a Manhattan Tech employee as the Letter of Recommendation/Verbal Reference Release form is not a request to provide a recommendation but permission to use the content-specific records.

Complete the Letter of Recommendation/Verbal Reference Release Form

Letter of Recommendation/Verbal Reference Release Form

Notification and Follow-Up with Manhattan Tech Employee

For convenience, students who submit the form will have it automatically sent to the employee, and the Registrar will be notified of the waiver. The Registrar will retain the record for at least four (4) years as part of the student's education record.