The development and approval of university-wide policies are governed by UA-08 Establishing University Policies.
Read on for additional guidance on the policy approval process. For assistance with the policy process or for any accessibility issues, contact the Office of Policy Administration.
The responsible office determines issues and identifies the need for policy.
The responsible office drafts the policy and the communication plan, and submits them to the Office of Policy Administration. A policy template in Word document form is linked here.
The responsible office (with guidance from the Office of Policy Administration) consults stakeholders, the Policy Advisory Council (PAC), faculty governance, the president’s cabinet (if needed), and others to seek feedback and make adjustments to policy.
During this period, the Office of Policy Administration posts the policy to the university policies website for a 30-day public review period. Exceptional circumstances may preclude a 30-day review period (see UA-08).
After review and feedback periods are complete and necessary changes are made, the responsible office and the Office of Policy Administration route the policy to the responsible administrators for final approval. Responsible administrators with authority to approve university policiesinclude vice presidents, the Board of Trustees, the University Faculty Council, and the president.
After final approval is obtained, the Office of Policy Administration posts the policy on the university policies website as in effect.
The responsible office communicates and distributes the policy broadly to the university community and key stakeholders. The Office of Policy Administration and the university compliance office can guide the responsible office in communicating, educating, and training targeted groups on the policy.
The responsible office should monitor compliance, measure effectiveness of the policy, evaluate feedback, and review the policy regularly. In accordance with UA-08, each policy should be reviewed every five years.
