Policy on University Policy Development

This Policy for University Policy Development (“Policy”) applies to all departments intending to develop or modify University Policies and does not apply to Board of Trustee Policies nor to Internal Department Policies.

This policy applies to all members of the University community.

The purpose of this Policy is to provide a standardized process for the development, approval, implementation, management, and maintenance of University Policies in an effort to ensure that all University Policies are consistent with the mission of Arcadia University and comply with all applicable laws and regulations. This Policy will ensure that the Arcadia University community has ready access to a library of well-developed and understandable University Policies and provide faculty, staff, and students with clear and concise guidelines.

This Policy sets out the process for drafting, reviewing and approving University Policies.  The need for a new University Policy or the revision of a current University Policy shall be determined by a Vice President of the University. University Policies will be managed by a Policy Advisory Committee (“PAC”) to ensure compliance with this Policy. The PAC will be available to work with the responsible parties during any phase of the policy development process. University Policies will be clearly distinguished from related Procedures.  Internal Departmental Policies that apply to the operations of individual divisions or departments may not conflict with University Policies.  Individuals engaged in developing and maintaining University Policies must follow the requirements outlined in this Policy.

Any party that does not comply with this policy may face corrective action. Any University Policies that do not conform to this Policy are not official University Policies, except those University Policies that predate this policy. Policies that predate this Policy will remain official University Policies, but must be reviewed in compliance with this policy within two years from the date this policy is enacted.

Board of Trustee Policies are policies that apply solely to the University’s Board of Trustees or are established by the Board of Trustees.

Internal Departmental Policies are internal policies that do not have the broad scope or significant impact of University Policies, but instead apply to only a single division or department.

Executive Review Committee consists of the members of the President’s Cabinet who shall meet as required to review proposed University Policies. The goal is that all policies reviewed by the PAC will be discussed within 45 days.

Interim Policies are polices that may be approved by the President to address matters that require immediate attention or are determined by the President to be in the best interest of the University. Interim policies do not initially utilize the full process for policy development set forth in the Procedures but should undergo full review process within one year of going into effect.

Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) is group that will assist with the review of, and provide input on, proposed University Policies and/or the revision of current University Policies. The Office of the General Counsel will be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of a Policy Library. The PAC will review and offer advice on the Policy Library.  The PAC will meet monthly and work in partnership with Policy Initiators and Vice Presidents to ensure that University Policies are aligned with the University’s mission and goals; are concise, consistent in format and scope and easy to understand; are properly vetted and posted for comment; and remain compliant as new or existing laws affecting them are established or amended. The PAC is comprised of seven members who will serve on an annual basis, including: (i) three presidential appointments, (ii) a staff member appointed by the Staff Council, (iii) a faculty member appointed by the Faculty Senate, (iv) a student representative appointed by the Student Government Organization, and (v) a chair from the Office of General Counsel.

Policy Initiator is any party who identifies a university level policy issue or the need for substantial revision to a current policy and, after it has been approved by the responsible Vice President, develops a policy proposal and/or draft policy or policy revision in conjunction with the Vice President.

Policy Library is the centralized, searchable web based repository of University Policies.

Procedures are guidelines or series of interrelated steps taken to help implement the University Policy.  Procedures (i) should identify and link to the applicable University Policy, (ii) should be written in a format that is easy to follow, (iii) should be reviewed and updated as necessary to ensure agreement with the most recent revision to the University Policy, and (iv) may be revised by the Vice President in accordance with this Policy.

University Policies are policies that have institution-wide application throughout the university community (generally pertaining to more than one division or department) and that help ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, promote operational efficiencies, enhance the university’s mission, provide guidance and assistance to the university community and/or reduce institutional risk. The Vice President will determine whether a proposed policy rises to the level of a University Policy and all proposed University Policies are subject to approval by the Executive Review Committee and the President.

University is Arcadia University, its colleges, schools, affiliates, divisions and subsidiaries.

Vice President is the responsible University vice president whose jurisdiction covers the subject matter of the proposed University Policy.

Note – There are some policies that predate this Policy, and so, as yet, have not been through the entire process outlined herein. They remain University Policies and, within two years, are expected to complete this process. 

To ensure universal access, the University will maintain University Policies in the Policy Library located on the University website with links to applicable procedures. The web page will be maintained by the Office of the General Counsel.  All documents approved for placement in the Policy Library will constitute the official depository for University Policies.

To maintain an organized system of change control, and to ensure consistency throughout the University, individual departmental web sites should not contain separate copies or versions of University Policies or applicable procedures. Instead, departmental web sites that reference University Policies and Procedures must use hyperlinks to the documents in the Policy Library. This does not preclude departments from maintaining Internal Department Policies and related procedures on their web sites, provided they are not identified as official University Policies, and do not conflict with official University Policies.

This Policy is effective on the date that it is signed by the President.

February 18, 2015