Title: #I-4. Guidelines for Institutional Policy/Procedure Development, Review

and Approval

Date: March 17, 2010 [Replaces version dated April 28, 2003]

Introduction:

Policies of West Virginia University at Parkersburg are adopted by its Board of Governors in accordance with statutory requirements as outlined in Board of Governors Policy A-45, “Adoption or Amendment of Rules.” All policies of the Board of Governors are posted on the Board’s web page at:

www.wvup.edu/Board_of_Governors/policies.htm

Copies of policies may also be obtained from the Office of the President.

Campus procedures or guidelines that carry out policies of the WVU at Parkersburg Board of Governors, rules or directives of the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, and/or WV State Code are published online in the WVU at Parkersburg Answer Book at:

www.wvup.edu/policies/index.htm

Answer Book documents are also available in the President’s Office, library and other administrative offices on campus. Selected Board policies and Answer Book documents are also published and/or referenced in college publications such as the catalog and in faculty, classified staff, and student handbooks.

The President's Office is responsible for announcing and publishing approved institutional policies and procedures. Rules of the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission will be communicated on a routine basis. It is the responsibility of administrators and others to conduct routine and periodic review of policies and procedures that pertain to their administrative areas.

Guidelines:

The following guidelines shall apply in proposing or modifying institutional policies, procedures or guidelines:

Initiating a Proposal/Recommendation:

(1) Policy or procedure proposals may be initiated by any executive level administrator, Faculty Senate, Staff Council, Academic Council, or other representative council or committee of the institution, whether ad hoc or permanent. Individuals wishing to make policy or procedure recommendations may channel such recommendations through the appropriate executive level administrator or constituent group.

(2) Proposed modifications to an existing Board policy or Answer Book document must be visibly shown by underlining all additions and striking all deletions to the existing document. (Minor revisions may be hand-printed on a copy of the current document.) If major modifications are recommended which significantly affect procedures or the intent of policy, a new draft may be submitted as a replacement with sufficient justification attached.

(3) All policy/procedure proposals must be submitted by the executive level administrator or constituent head to the Special Assistant to the President in Microsoft Word format. The proposal must be accompanied by a written explanation of the initiator's reasons for recommending the proposal and documentation of any reviews by other groups or administrators which were conducted prior to submission.

Reviews

(1) When a new or modified policy/procedure is submitted to the President's Office, the Special Assistant to the President will review the proposal to determine the appropriate adoption process, i.e., adoption by the Board of Governors or publication in the Answer Book, and to assess its compliance with or relevance to policies of the Board of Governors, West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education or the Higher Education Policy Commission.

(2) Proposals shall be reviewed by those administrators and/or appropriate constituent heads prior to submission to the President for approval. Proposals pertaining to academic affairs shall be reviewed by the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Council, which includes the Faculty Senate Chair. Proposals pertaining to student services shall be reviewed by the Vice President for Student Services and Student Government Association President. Proposals pertaining to financial matters shall be reviewed by the Chief Financial Officer. Those pertaining to personnel matters shall be reviewed by the Director of Human Resources, appropriate executive level administrators, and, as appropriate, the Classified Staff Council Chair and/or the Faculty Senate Chair. The Special Assistant to the President shall facilitate appropriate review by general counsel or others before submitting the proposal to the President for approval.

Approval

Upon approval by the President, proposals that require adoption or approval by the Board of Governors will be placed on the Board’s agenda in accordance with Policy A-45. Adoption of new policies or substantive modification of existing Board policies requires a 30-day public comment period and final approval by the Chancellor of the WV Council for Community and Technical College Education. New or modified Answer Book documents require approval by the President. New Board policies and Answer Book documents will be assigned an appropriate number by the Special Assistant to the President. When finalized, new or modified Board policies and Answer Book documents will be communicated and published by the President's Office.