Policy on Policy Management

Policy on Policy Management

Purpose of Policy

Gettysburg College is committed to operating with integrity and in accordance with its legal obligations. Institutional Policies are an important way to speak to these commitments and to set expectations within which employees and students are expected to operate.

This policy has been established to create a consistent and effective approach to policy development, approval, and management that promotes clarity, transparency, and efficiency.

Scope of Policy

This policy is designed to promote best practices in policy development, approval, and management. This policy applies to Institutional Polices that apply college-wide or that will impact a substantial portion of the College community.

This policy does not apply to division-level or department-level policies, although these policies may not conflict with Institutional Policies.

Definitions

Policy: A policy is a formalized, high-level statement that outlines the College's general position on a specific subject area. Policies adhere to a formal policy development, approval, and management process established by the College.
Process: A process provides broad steps to implement a policy.
Procedure: A procedure tells exactly how to complete each step in a process.
Institutional Policy: A policy that has broad application throughout the College and impacts more than one division or stakeholder group. An Institutional Policy is evaluated by the President’s Council and approved by the President, except when approval by the Board of Trustees is appropriate.
Divisional Policy: A policy that is applicable only to one division or stakeholder group. A divisional policy may be approved by the appropriate member of President’s Council (e.g., Divisional Vice President).
Departmental Policy: A policy that is only applicable to one department within a division. A departmental policy may be approved by the appropriate department head.
Policy Owner: The College office or unit responsible for proposing, developing, and managing a policy.
Policy Approval Authority: The group or person (e.g., Board of Trustees, President, Divisional Vice President) that approves a policy.
Stakeholders: Individuals to whom a policy applies or who may be affected by the policy.
Approval Date: The date the policy was approved by the appropriate Policy Approval Authority.
Effective Date: The date the policy is implemented.
Date of Last Review: If applicable, the date the policy was last reviewed.
Date of Next Review: The date three years from when the policy was approved that the policy will be examined for any needed changes.
Ethics and Integrity Committee: The institutional committee that reviews new or revised policies and makes recommendations to the President. The Ethics and Integrity Committee is chaired by the Ethics and Integrity Officer.
Ethics and Integrity Officer: The member of the President’s Council who chairs the Ethics and Integrity Committee and is responsible for ethics and integrity at the College.
Policy Template: A standard format to be used when developing or revising an Institutional Policy. This facilitates the adoption of College policies that are consistent, clear, and concise.
Policy Library: A centralized repository of Institutional Policies located on the Gettysburg College website.

Policy Description

Authority

Policy owners are responsible for proposing, developing, and managing policies in their area of responsibility. Policies should be drafted in clear, concise language, and should refrain from including processes and procedures.

Institutional Policies are approved by the President, except when approval by the Board of Trustees is appropriate. Institutional Policies are proposed, developed, and approved following the steps below. Institutional policies must use the standard policy template and be reviewed by the Ethics and Integrity Committee before going to the President’s Council (or Board of Trustees, if appropriate) for review and approval.

Divisional policies are approved by the appropriate member of President’s Council (e.g., Divisional Vice President). Divisional policies are not required to use the standard policy template or to be reviewed by the Ethics and Integrity Committee before approval. However, the policy owner may find it helpful to use the standard policy template and to seek the advice of the Ethics and Integrity Committee prior to approval.

Departmental policies are not required to use the standard policy template or to be reviewed by the Ethics and Integrity Committee before being approved by the appropriate department head.

Creating a New Institutional Policy

1. Obtain permission and write.

a. The Policy Owner obtains permission from the appropriate President’s Council member and the Ethics and Integrity Officer to begin drafting the new policy using the standard policy template.

b. The Policy Owner consults with relevant stakeholders and drafts the policy.

 
2. Collect feedback and revise.

a. The Policy Owner collects feedback from relevant stakeholders and revises the draft policy.

b. The Policy Owner submits the draft policy to the Ethics and Integrity Committee for review and revises as necessary.

c. The Ethics and Integrity Officer shares the draft policy with the President’s Council and the Policy Owner revises as necessary.

d. The Ethics and Integrity Officer sends the draft policy for legal review and the Policy Owner revises as necessary.

3. Approval

a. For Institutional Policies approved by the President, the President’s Council evaluates the final version of the draft policy. The policy is approved when the President signs the policy.

b. When it is appropriate for an Institutional Policy to be approved by the Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees reviews the final version of the draft policy and votes on whether to approve it. The policy is approved when the Secretary of the Board of Trustees signs the policy.

 
4. Dissemination and Education

a. Institutional Policies are posted only to the Policy Library on the Gettysburg College website by the Communications and Marketing Office. Institutional Policies should not be reproduced in other locations on the website.

b. The Policy Owner notifies the College community of a new institutional policy (e.g., via e-mail and/or the College digest).

c. Policy Owner educates the College community about the new institutional policy as appropriate.

Revising an Existing Institutional Policy

1. Review and revise.

a. Ideally, policies should be reviewed every three years by the Policy Owner in consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

b. If a revision is not needed, the Policy Owner submits the unaltered policy to the Ethics and Integrity Officer for approval by the President or the Board of Trustees as appropriate.

c. If a revision is needed, the Policy Owner consults with relevant stakeholders and drafts the policy using the standard policy template.

 
2. Collect feedback and revise.

a. The Policy Owner collects feedback from relevant stakeholders and revises the draft policy.

b. The Policy Owner submits the draft policy to the Ethics and Integrity Committee for review and revises as necessary.

c. The Ethics and Integrity Officer shares the draft policy with the President’s Council and the Policy Owner revises as necessary.

d. The Ethics and Integrity Officer sends the draft policy for legal review and the Policy Owner revises as necessary.

 
3. Approval

a. For institutional policies approved by the President’s Council, the President’s Council evaluates the final version of the draft policy. The policy is approved when the President signs the policy.

b. When it is appropriate for an Institutional Policy to be approved by the Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees reviews the final version of the draft policy and votes on whether to approve it. The policy is approved when the Secretary of the Board of Trustees signs the policy.

 
4. Dissemination and Education

a. Institutional Policies are posted only to the Policy Library on the Gettysburg College website by the Communications and Marketing Office. Institutional Policies should not be reproduced in other locations on the website.

a. The Policy Owner notifies the College community of a new institutional policy (e.g., via e-mail and/or the College digest).

b. The Policy Owner educates the College community about the new institutional policy as appropriate.

 

Policy Management

The Ethics and Integrity Officer, with assistance from the Ethics and Integrity Committee, is responsible for implementing and enforcing this policy.

Related Materials

• Policy Template