Utah Valley University
Policies and Procedures
| Title | Policy Governing Policies and Procedures | Number | 101 |
| Section | Governance, Organization, and General Information | Approval Date | Apr 14,2005 |
| Subsection | Governance and Organization | Effective Date | Apr 14,2005 |
I. Purpose
- The existing policy called "Adoption of College Policies" (index #A-1.1) should be modified to properly reflect the institutional policies and procedures approval process approved in draft form February 10, 2004 by President's Council and institutional entities. It is intended that this policy will govern the proposal of new policies and procedures, and the revisions of existing policies and procedures, in a more efficient and more transparent manner. Each new and revised policy should be appropriate, easy to understand, enforceable, not too restrictive, and respond to a dynamic need within the UVU community.
II. Terms
- Campus community: full- and part-time institutional employees, and students.
- Institutional entity: shall be defined as President's Council, Dean's Council, Faculty Senate, PACE, and ASUVU Student Council.
- Institutional policies and procedures approval process: shall refer to a transparent and collaborative communication of interests resulting in the institution-wide development and approval of policies and procedures.
- Policy: shall refer to new institutional policies or the modification of existing institutional policies.
- Policy and procedure development committee: representatives of institutional entities (or others as needed) who participate by invitation of the sponsor and steward in the development or revision of policies and procedures.
- Procedure: shall refer to new institutional procedures or the modification of existing institutional procedures.
- Sponsor: shall be a member of the President's Council; specifically, the institutional president; a vice president; or the presidents of the faculty senate, PACE, or student government.
- Steward: appointed by the sponsor, the steward shall lead the development and modification of institutional policies and procedures through the institutional policies and procedures approval process.
- Timeline: the estimated length of time to adequately lead a proposed institutional policy or procedure, or the modification of an existing policy or procedure, through the stages of the institutional policies and procedures approval process.
III. Policy
- The institution develops and maintains policies and procedures to meet the changing needs of the institution and to ensure compliance with Regents policies and federal, state, and local laws.
- The President's Council shall coordinate the development and modification of institutional policies and procedures. Upon presentation to the President's Council, the council shall appoint a sponsor to oversee the approval process. The sponsor shall appoint a steward to manage the process of development and modification of institutional policies and procedures. Sponsors may also serve as stewards. The sponsor shall propose a timeline to President's Council. Subsequent modifications to the timeline shall also be communicated to the President's Council by the sponsor.
- The institutional policies and procedures approval process shall involve a collaborative effort, led by the sponsor and steward, in the development or modification of institutional policies and procedures. In drafting institutional policies and procedures, all institutional entities shall have the opportunity to participate in this process at the earliest opportunity. Legal counsel and/or contracted consultants may be consulted as necessary.
- Policies and procedures that significantly affect the faculty shall not move through Stages Two or Three during the summer when the Faculty Senate does not meet. The President's Council shall respect the requests of the Senate President regarding policies and procedures that should be delayed until the fall when the full Faculty Senate can consider the policy or procedure.
- Institutional entities shall have a transparent internal policies and procedures approval process that ensures adequate consideration, feedback, and approval of proposed policies and procedures within the approved timeline. Institutional entities' policies and procedures approval process shall be approved by its constituency.
- After Board of Trustees approval and posting to the official institutional website, institutional policies are in effect unless a specific date on which they become effective is noted in the policy.
- After President's Council approval and posting to the official institutional website, institutional procedures are in effect unless a specific date on which they become effective is noted in the procedures.
- Any changes in procedures shall not violate or contradict the intent of any associated institutional policy.
- A policy and its accompanying procedure(s) shall be presented together; neither shall be considered in isolation when engaged in the policies and procedures approval process.
- A policy web content manager shall be appointed by the President's Council. The duties of the policy web content manager shall be to post policies in the institutional policies and procedures approval process to an internet website to promote institution-wide transparency and accountability, to post Board of Trustees approved policy and President's Council approved procedures to the official institutional website, and to notify the campus community when an approved policy or procedure is posted to the official institutional website.
- If the President's Council determines the need for urgent action, it may approve policy and procedural changes for immediate implementation and recommend polices to the Board of Trustees for approval and then appoint a sponsor and steward to take the policy or procedure through the steps of the policy and procedure approval process beginning with stage three.
IV. Procedures
- Stage One - Initiation and Development Any employee or institutional entity may propose the need for a new policy or procedure or the modification of an existing policy or procedure to a member of the President's Council. If the President's Council determines that there is a need, it shall appoint a sponsor for the purpose of engaging in the institutional policies and procedures approval process. The sponsor chooses to serve as steward or assigns a steward to lead the proposed policy or procedure through the approval process. The steward proposes to the President's Council a reasonable timeline that will lead the proposed policy or procedure through stage one (development) as well as identify a target date for final approval. Upon request by the steward, the President's Council may revise the development timeline or target date. In drafting the proposed policy or procedure, the sponsor and steward shall organize a policy and procedure development committee and research applicable Regents policies and federal, state and local laws. The policy and procedure development committee drafts the proposed policy or procedure and submits it to the sponsor who submits it to the President's Council for approval to engage stage two.
- Stage Two - Institutional Entity Review With President's Council approval, the steward shall submit the proposed policy or procedure to the institutional entities seeking consideration and feedback. Based on the feedback received from the institutional entities, the steward, in consultation with the sponsor, shall revise the proposed policy or procedure. The sponsor shall resubmit the proposed policy or procedure for the President's Council consideration.
- Stage Three - Campus Community Review With President's Council approval, the proposed policy or procedure shall be posted on the institutional policies and procedures internet website. The posting time shall be determined by the President's Council and shall not be less than seven days, nor exceed thirty days. Based on the feedback received from the campus community review, President's Council shall determine whether significant or insignificant changes need to be made to the proposed policy or procedure. If a significant change is advantageous to the proposed policy or procedure, the President's Council shall direct the steward to consult with the institutional entities and campus community regarding recommended changes for approval (the proposed policy or procedure could go back to stage one or stage two for further refinement). If changes are insignificant, President's Council shall be permitted to make the changes and advance the proposed policy or procedure onto stage four.
- Stage Four - Procedures Approval/Policies Prepared for Trustees President's Council shall send the proposed policy to the Board of Trustees with the recommendation for approval. President's Council shall approve the proposed procedure, which becomes effective upon posting on the institution's official website or as specified by the proposed procedure. The policy web content manager shall notify the campus community of approved procedures when they are posted on the official institutional website. President's Council shall be permitted to make insignificant changes to the proposed policy or procedure without violating intent.
- Stage Five - Policy Approval The sponsor shall present the proposed policy to the Board of Trustees for final approval. The Board of Trustees may (a) approve the proposed policy as written, (b) approve the proposed policy with nominal changes, or (c) send the proposed policy back to the President's Council with recommendations. With Board of Trustees' approval, the proposed policy shall become effective upon posting on the institutional official website or as specified by the proposed policy. The policy web content manager shall notify the campus community of approved policies when they are posted on the public UVU Website. When required by Regent policy, a copy of the approved policy shall be forwarded to the state Board of Regents.