University Policy and Procedure Development

Policy

Minnesota State University, Mankato establishes, revises and terminates University policies and procedures within a clearly defined process which includes the following components:

• Broad campus participation in policy and procedure development through both an informal and formal review process.
• Consultation with appropriate bargaining units, administrative units and the Minnesota State Student Association.
• Standard format for University policies and procedures.
• Scheduling of policy review periods during the regular academic year (September to mid-May).
• Provision of an expedited review process when necessary to ensure compliance with Minnesota State system policy, ensure adherence to state and federal law, or to revise language to address a significant variance between policy language and established practice.
• Development of inclusive, non-discriminatory university policies and procedures that apply to all units of the University (on-campus, off-campus educational sites, online).
• Approval and signature of the President.

Definitions

Policy custodian
The custodian is responsible for supervising the development, implementation, and enforcement of a university policy. The university’s vice presidents are custodians for policies that relate to work in their divisions.

University policies
University policies are statements of institutional positions. They both reflect and support the University’s mission and values. While developed primarily to guide institutional decisions or actions, they also may articulate the University’s compliance with external mandates, encourage efficient use of resources, or promote consistency by those acting on behalf of the University. University policies generally impact a broad segment of the university and their applicability is not limited to a single institutional unit.

University procedures 
Procedures are written statements of specific processes initiated to implement a University Policy. The custodian of a policy has the latitude to change procedures in order to improve the manner in which a policy is administered but must notify the Policy Development Committee when change are made.

Unit policies 
Unit policies are statements or positions on issues that are specific to an individual unit, department, or division. Such policies are narrower in scope than university policies and affect a finite group within the campus community. A unit policy is initiated by a unit director and includes consultation with the appropriate vice president. The vice president may decide to reference the unit policy in relevant meet and confer sessions. Unit policies are not processed through the process described in this policy and do not require approval of the President. Unit policy is superseded by university and system policy.

Policy change
The adoption of a new university policy, or amendment or repeal of an existing university policy.

Procedure change
The adoption of a new procedure that supports a university policy, or amendment or repeal of an existing university procedure.

Procedure

Policy Consultation and Approval Committee

A University Policy Development Committee will be convened each year by the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs (or their designee). The committee will be comprised of the following membership:

• Three representatives appointed by the Provost from Academic Affairs, including the committee chair.
• One representative from the remaining divisions appointed by the vice president of each division.
• One representative from each of the bargaining units: Faculty Association, MSUAASF, AFSCME, and MAPE.
• One representative appointed by the Student Government.

Location of Policies

University policies will be maintained in a central location and will be available to the public through the University website.

Policy Review Process

The policy consultation and approval process will be completed during the regular academic year (September to mid-May). It will include both an informal and a formal review period through which the university community has the opportunity to comment on each policy and procedure. The University Policy Development Committee will coordinate work on policies under review and/or development.

1. Each September, the University Policy Development Committee will identify policies and procedures that are due for a routine 6-year review. The committee will also issue a call to the university community to submit recommendations of university policies and procedures that may need review and/or to suggest new policies and procedures for development.
2. Requests for review or development may come from any member of the university community. A request does not guarantee that a policy will be reviewed or developed. The Policy Development Committee will review all requests and decide to move forward, defer, or deny the request. The committee will share the rationale for its decisions with the campus community.
3. The policy custodian will identify an individual or individuals in the University community who exhibit special knowledge or interest in the policies under review and development.
4. Once identified, those individuals will be invited to lead the drafting of policy language or updates. A member of the University Policy Development Committee will provide guidance and assistance in moving the policy through the review process.
5. To prepare to draft the policy, the drafter(s) will review the existing policy or procedure (if available), identify applicable state or federal regulations or requirements, research similar policies or procedures, and consult with stakeholders. When necessary, there will be consultation with external agencies (e.g., Office of the Chancellor, Attorney General). The drafter(s) will then prepare an informal draft of the policy or procedure.
6. The informal drafts will be posted on the university website.
7. A notice will be sent to the campus community, and members of the community may submit comments or suggestions for a period of 30 days.
8. At the end of the review period, the drafter will review the feedback from the campus community on the informal draft before preparing a formal draft of the policy or procedure.
9. The formal drafts will be posted on the University website, along with responses from the drafter to the campus feedback on the informal draft.
10. A notice will be sent to the campus community, and members of the community may submit comments for a period of 30 days.
11. The drafter will review the feedback from the campus community on the formal draft before preparing the final draft of the policy or procedure.
12. The final policy draft will be forwarded to the appropriate policy custodian for review, make additional edits if needed, and recommendation for approval.
13. The final policy and procedure will be forwarded to the President for approval and signature no later than July 1.
14. New policies and procedures will go into effect on August 1 each year unless extenuating circumstances require an alternate start date.
15. On August 1 each year, the committee chair will send a announcement to the campus community of the new policies and procedures that were developed in the previous year’s policy review cycle.

All details of the review process are outlined in the University Policy Development Manual which is maintained by the Chair of the committee. The Chair will provide copies of the manual to committee members each year.

Expedited Review Process

It is occasionally necessary for a policy to undergo limited changes to ensure compliance with Minnesota State Board of Trustees’ policy, to conform to changes in state or federal law, or to revise language to address a significant variance between policy language and established practice. Such changes occur through a limited review process that may occur outside of the usual review process. Expedited policy changes will be suggested by the appropriate policy custodian to the University Policy Development Committee. This limited process includes:

1. The policy custodian will identify a drafter with relevant subject matter expertise.
2. The Policy Development Committee chair will support the drafter in revising or developing the policy.
3. The campus community will be notified by e-mail of the expedited review and the time period during which responses will be accepted and reviewed.
4. Copies of the new or revised policy will be distributed to all bargaining units and the Student Government with at least 1 week for review and comment
5. The policy draft will be forwarded to the appropriate policy custodian for review and recommendation for approval.
6. The recommended policy will be forwarded to the President for approval and signature.

If a new policy is developed through expedited review outside of the regular academic year, it will be posted again for public comment during the following regular cycle.

Procedures reflect current resources, requirements, and regulations. They may be revised as necessary using an expedited review process, but they must also be included when their accompanying policy is undergoing a review.

Rationale

Through a clearly defined and effectively organized policy and procedure review and approval process, the university community is able to play an active role in guiding the development of university policies. This process encourages open communication across divisions and provides for input from a variety of sources. The process is based on MnSCU Board of Trustees’ Policy 1A.1; Part 3, Subpart E and Part 6, Subpart G.