Campus Administrative Policy Development and Life Cycle Process Policy

Policy Statement

University Administrative Policies have broad application throughout the campus and significant impact to the University if not followed. They may be developed by a department or unit or campus administration in order to express basic values of the University, ensure coordinated compliance with applicable laws and regulations, promote operational efficiencies, enhance the University’s mission, and/or reduce institutional risk.

University Administrative Policies are to be developed, formatted, approved, issued and maintained in a consistent manner, with the engagement of appropriate University stakeholders, and be made available online to the broader University community in order to enhance compliance and advancement of our mission.

Disclaimer: This policy does not apply to College Senate Policies / Resolutions.

Policies that are easy to find, read and understand will:

• Support the University’s mission
• Achieve accountability by identifying the units responsible for policies
• Provide students, faculty and staff with clear, concise guidelines for meeting policy requirements
• Document how the university conducts business

SUNY Brockport policies will be:

• Presented in a common format
• Named consistently
• Well-articulated and understandable
• Formally approved
• Maintained centrally and accessible to all interested parties
• Linked electronically to procedures for implementing the policy
• Distributed to all relevant operating units in a timely manner
• Reviewed regularly and kept current

Internal policies that apply to the operations of individual units or departments may not conflict with University-wide policy, but may be more restrictive.

The University reserves the right to amend or revoke its administrative policies at any time.

Purpose/Scope

The purpose of this Policy is to ensure that University-wide policies and procedures extend the mission of the institution, are disseminated in accordance with a standardized process with the engagement of appropriate institutional stakeholders, and are made widely accessible to the University community.

Applicability

This policy applies to all University-wide administrative policies. Refer to the Roles and Responsibilities Chart.

Definitions

Adoption, Revision, and Review Dates — The Adoption Date is when the policy has been initially approved and is in effect, pursuant to this Campus Administrative Policy Development and Life Cycle Process, and should be noted at the top of the first page of each policy document. The Revision Date is when the policy was last revised and should be noted below the Adoption Date, as well as within the History section at the end of the policy document with a description of the revision. The Review Date is when the policy was last reviewed, and should be noted below the Revision Date.

Compliance — Policies concerning appropriate conduct and/or compliance with the law.

Originating Unit — Owner/developer of a particular policy and one who is responsible for overseeing policy compliance and periodic review and maintenance of that policy.

Policy — A statement of management philosophy and direction, established to provide guidance and assistance to the University community in the conduct of university affairs.

• A university policy:
  • Has broad application throughout the institution
  • Helps ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, promotes operational efficiencies, supports the institution’s mission and reduces institutional risks
  • Determines actions and constraints
  • Includes specific procedures required for compliance
  • Requires Policy Management Steering Committee (PMSC) review and university president approval for policy issuance and major revisions

• A school, department, office or unit policy (a policy that does not meet all of the above criteria):
  • Each SUNY Brockport policy is owned by a Responsible Unit under the authority of a Responsible Cabinet Member.

Policy Documentation Team — Administrative Assistants to the Responsible Cabinet Members, who are accountable for assisting in posting and communicating approved policies, monitoring and facilitating annual reviews of policies on a three year cycle, maintaining the policy template and content, and maintaining the policy database.

Policy Management Steering Committee — The University body that oversees the University administrative policy development and review process. Refer to the Policy Management Steering Committee Roster.

Policy Proposal Form — A preliminary assessment document to assist the PMSC in determining the University’s need for the proposed policy. If denied, the Policy Proposal Form, with reason for denial, will be archived.

Policy Procedures / Guidelines — Established methods and requirements for the implementation of a policy. See the Policy Development and Life Cycle Matrix and the Policy Process – Simplified Flow List.

Policy Statement — A brief statement on the front page of a University Policy document that explains the purpose and core provisions of the policy.

Responsible Cabinet Member — Cabinet Member of the division or area in which the Originating Unit falls, who approves the work of the Originating Unit and carries policies to President’s Cabinet for review/approval. The Responsible Cabinet Member is accountable for maintaining policies up-to-date for their division or area.

Stakeholders — The University community, subject matter experts, SUNY legal counsel, Originating Unit, Enterprise Risk Management Committee, etc.

Policy Procedures

Policy Development Process

The Policy Coordinator oversees the progress of each policy, once received from the Responsible Cabinet Member in Step 5 (see below).

1. Precipitating factor: A need arises for a new or revised policy
2. Originator (interested party) requests sponsorship from Responsible Cabinet Member
3. Responsible Cabinet Member agrees to sponsor policy
4. Originator drafts/revises policy in Policy Template, with input from stakeholders, and submits to Responsible Cabinet Member for review
5. Responsible Cabinet Member reviews policy and submits to Policy Coordinator
6. Policy Coordinator shares policy with Policy Management Steering Committee’s College Senate Representative, who presents it to College Senate Executive Committee in advance of Policy Management Steering Committee Meeting, for comment
7. Policy Management Steering Committee reviews policy
8. SUNY Legal reviews policy (if needed)
9. President’s Cabinet reviews policy
10. Policy Coordinator shares policy with Policy Management Steering Committee’s College Senate Representative, who presents it as a proposal to College Senate at the start of the 30-Day Campus Review posting which must not be near the end of a semester or over summer
11. 30-Day Campus Review and Feedback (includes Brockport Student Government, College Senate, and Unions)
12. President approves policy
13. Policy is published and implemented

NOTE: The 30-day stakeholder review is waived when a policy is being revised with minor changes (as determined by the Policy Steering Committee), or when exigent circumstances require immediate processing and implementation of a policy / revised policy for the good of the campus.

Structure and Organization of Policies

The Policies web page lists all policies by name and category, with links to related procedures. Policies are assigned to one or more of the following categories and are searchable by Category, Topic, Name, Number, Dates, and Key Words (as indicated by the originator of the policy):

• Academic Affairs and Research – Policies that relate to teaching, research and outreach.
• Administration and Operations – Policies that are of a general administrative or operational nature.
• Business and Financial – Policies related to accounting, budgeting, procurement, travel and other financial or business functions.
• Human Resources – Policies, rules, and related procedures and information impacting working relationships with the University for all employee groups.
• Information Technology – Policies that cover systems, access, data, and related issues.
• Student – Policies applicable to status as a student.
• Other – All policies that do not fit the above categories.

Inconsistent Policies

No schools, departments, offices or units may adopt a policy or procedure that is inconsistent with an official University Policy without the express written approval of the Policy Management Steering Committee or the University President. In the event of a conflict, University Policy supersedes.

Periodic Review of University Policies

The Responsible Unit / Responsible Cabinet Member is accountable for keeping the university policies in their area current, and for the performance of periodic reviews at least once every three years, to ensure the university policies in their area comply with and reflect current laws, regulations, and practices. The PMSC will, annually in January, provide each Responsible Cabinet Member and their Administrative Assistant the list of university policies in their purview requiring review during that calendar year (approximately one third of their total policies, and must be the oldest / most outdated).

Revisions to University Policies

University policies are to be revised using the process provided in this document. The PMSC may determine at any time that a University policy needs revision. In such a case, the PMSC is to provide guidance to the Responsible Cabinet Member regarding necessary changes. If the policy at issue does not have a clear Responsible Cabinet Member, the PMSC will assign one.

Withdrawal of University Policies

A University Policy may be withdrawn by the Responsible Cabinet Member or by the PMSC. Such withdrawal must be communicated to, and be approved by, the University President via use of the Policy Withdrawal Request Form.

Links to Related Procedures and Information

New/Revised Policy Proposal Form — See Policy Resources link below

Policy Development and Life Cycle Matrix

Policy Development and Life Cycle Process Flow Roles and Responsibilities Chart

Policy Inquiry Form

Policy Library Index Page

Policy Management Steering Committee Roster

Policy Process – Simplified Flow List

Policy Resources (including New/Revised Policy Proposal Form)

Policies Under Review

Policy Website

Policy Withdrawal Request Form

Contact Information

Vice President, Administration and Finance

History (in descending order)

Item	Date	Explanation
Next Review Date	2026-07-21	Five-year review
Revision Date	2021-07-21	Updated process and language throughout.
Revision Date	2017-12-13	Completed RCE definition and added additional form links within text and in Links, including Withdrawal Request form.
Revision Date	2017-08-30	Moved Compliance Category to Definitions
Revision Date	2017-08-07	Added 30-day Review Waiver Note
Adoption Date	2017-03-03	Policy Adopted
Draft Review Date	2017-01-31	Draft Policy under 30-day Campus Review

Approval

This policy was approved by President’s Cabinet on 2021-07-21