University Policy Development

Policy

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

• Broad campus participation in policy 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.
• 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 that apply to all units of the University (on-campus, off-campus educational sites, online).
• Approval and signature of the President.

Procedure

Policy Consultation and Approval Committee

The Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs will appoint two representatives from the division of Academic Affairs to serve on the committee in addition to appointing the committee chair. Each of the other vice presidents will appoint one representative from their respective division to serve on the committee. Additional appointees will come from the Faculty Association, MSUAASF, AFSCME, MAPE and MSSA.

Location of Policies

University policies will be maintained in a central location and will be available to the University community.

Policy Review Process

• Each September, the University Policy Consultation and Approval Committee will issue a call to the university community to submit recommendations of university policies that may need review, and/or to suggest new policies for development.
• 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 review process will include both an informal and a formal review period through which the university community has the opportunity to comment on each policy.
• The University Policy Consultation and Approval Committee will coordinate work on policies under review and/or development. This will be accomplished by the policy custodian identifying an individual or individuals in the University community who exhibit special knowledge or interest in the policies under review and development. Once identified, those individuals will be invited to draft policy language. A member of the University Policy Consultation and Approval Committee will provide guidance and assistance in moving the policy through the review process. When necessary, there will be consultation with external agencies (e.g., Office of the Chancellor, Attorney General).
• The policy consultation and approval process will be completed during the regular academic year (September to mid-May).
• The final policy draft will be forwarded to the appropriate policy custodian for review and recommendation for approval.
• The final policy will be forwarded to the President for approval and signature.
• 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 either to ensure compliance with Minnesota State Board of Trustees’ policy, to conform to changes in state and 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. Expedited policy changes will be suggested by the appropriate policy custodian to the University Policy Consultation and Approval Committee. This limited process includes:

• The campus community will be notified by e-mail of the expedited time period during which responses will be accepted and reviewed.
• Copies of the changes will be distributed to all bargaining units and the MSSA.
• The policy draft will be forward to the appropriate policy custodian for review and recommendation for approval.
• The recommended policy will be forwarded to the President for approval and signature.

Definitions

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 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.

Unit policies are statements or positions on issues that are specific to an individual 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 who may decide to reference the unit policy in relevant meet and confer sessions. Unit policies are not processed through the Policy Consultation and Approval process and do not require approval of the President.

Rationale

Through a clearly defined and effectively organized policy 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.