Submitting a Proposed New or Revised University Policy
Policy Development
1. The need for a new or revised University policy becomes apparent to a member of the University community who then identifies a policy sponsor (primary author of the policy who is typically a member of the unit or office responsible for implementation of the policy, or the full University Senate) to draft a proposal for a new or revised policy.
2. The policy sponsor must present the proposal to the appropriate policy owner (Vice Chancellor, Senior Vice President, or member of Chancellor’s Executive Team to whom the policy sponsor reports) for preliminary approval by the Chancellor’s Executive Team. Where a policy proposal is preliminarily approved by the Chancellor’s Executive Team, the sponsor will then consult with the Policy Administrator to obtain guidance on the policy development process and to complete a Policy Template form. The completed template form is submitted electronically to the Policy Administrator.
3. The Policy Administrator will review the policy template form for completeness and correspond with the sponsor as needed to obtain any missing/incomplete information.
4. The Policy Administrator will inform the members of the Policy Advisory Committee of the new/revised policy proposal and consult with the Committee as necessary throughout the policy development process (see item 6c below). The Policy Advisory Committee is composed of 6-8 members representing faculty, staff, and students.
5. If the proposed policy is being submitted as a new policy, a review of all existing policies will be made by the Policy Administrator to determine whether a similar policy already exists that could be submitted for revision instead.
6. Once all required information has been received, the Policy Administrator will review the proposed policy for the following attributes:
Is the proposed policy in direct response to federal, state, or local legislation requiring the University to be in compliance?
If yes, the Policy Administrator is authorized to make the corrections and/or revisions.
If no, continue to step 6(3).
Does the proposed policy apply to the institution as a whole or to a broad population of University faculty, staff and/or students requiring a University-wide policy? If not readily discernable, the Policy Administrator will consult with the Policy Advisory Committee and proceed as follows based on the Committee’s guidance:
If yes, the Policy Administrator will seek guidance from the Chancellor’s Executive Team (or designee) as to which constituents should be given the opportunity to participate in a vetting process or comment on the proposal before the University Executive Team considers it for approval.
If no, the Policy Administrator will advise the sponsor of the decision to not advance the proposed policy at the University-wide level, and advise the sponsor of other possible options.
Does the proposed policy apply to the institution as a whole or to a broad population of University faculty, staff and/or students requiring a University-wide policy? If not readily discernable, the Policy Administrator will consult with the Policy Advisory Committee and proceed as follows based on the Committee’s guidance:
If yes, the Policy Administrator will seek guidance from the Chancellor’s Executive Team (or designee) as to which constituents should be given the opportunity to participate in a vetting process or comment on the proposal before the University Executive Team considers it for approval.
If no, the Policy Administrator will advise the sponsor of the decision to not advance the proposed policy at the University-wide level, and advise the sponsor of other possible options.
7. When a proposed policy has been authorized by the University Executive Team (or designee) for vetting and/or comment by constituent groups, that process will be facilitated by the Policy Administrator with assistance from the Policy Advisory Committee. The vetting/comment process may take a variety of forms including, but not limited to, those listed below and may include a timeframe window or deadline for completion of the process.
General email/survey/questionnaire to all faculty, staff and students
Live open forums
Meetings with selected constituent groups or individuals
Standing advisory committees (e.g., University Senate committees)
Ad hoc committee to study the proposed policy
8. The results of the constituent vetting/comment phase will be analyzed and integrated into the draft proposal as appropriate by the sponsor and/or the Policy Administrator which will then be presented to the Chancellor’s Executive Team (or designee) which will determine the next appropriate course of action, such as:
Further edit the proposed policy in response to the constituent comments
Terminate further consideration of the proposed policy
Proceed to approve the proposed policy, subject to a 30-day public comment period
Policy Approval
9. Adoption of a proposed new or revised University policy (other than the technical revisions discussed above in section 6.b.i) requires the approval of the Chancellor’s Executive Team.
Communication of Policy Approval to the University Community
10. The Policy Administrator will coordinate with the SU News Services and the sponsor of the policy to determine the constituencies to be reached, the most appropriate/effective type(s) of communication to utilize, and the timing of such communication, consistent with the written Policy Communications Plan developed by the Fast Forward Syracuse Policy Team.
11. The Policy Administrator will be responsible for updating the SU policy website to include:
The correct policy category
The policy statement
Verification that all hyperlinks to associated detailed procedures, forms, related policies, FAQs, etc. are correct, operational, and accessible
The appropriate dates (i.e.; established, effective, revised, next review)
12. The Policy Administrator will respond, with the assistance of the policy sponsor as needed, to questions or concerns of members of the University Community to any issues related to the interpretation of, or compliance with, the policy.
