Policy Update Process Policy
Approved by: Northeastern State University Executive Cabinet
Responsible Official: President
president@nsuok.edu
918-444-2000
History: Adopted - 2010
Revised - April 13, 2017
Additional Resources:
What is a policy?
For purposes of the Northeastern State University Policies web site, a policy is defined as a statement of commitment to an institutional principle and/or a mandate that responds to legal or regulatory statutes, addresses issues of behavior and interaction, or governs use of University resources. A policy typically:
- Has broad institutional application;
- Enhances the University's mission and provides operational efficiencies;
- Mandates action or constraints and establishes boundaries for conduct;
- Helps ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations and reduces institutional risk;
- Changes infrequently and sets a course for the foreseeable future; and
- Requires approval at the highest administrative levels of the University.
The University reserves the right to exercise its judgment in establishing and administering policies, and retains the discretion to construe any ambiguous or disputed provision. The policies on this web site are the unofficial version of these policies. The official policies of Northeastern State University are maintained by the Office of General Counsel. To the extent that different versions of these policies may appear, the versions kept in the Office of General Counsel shall be the official versions and take priority over any inconsistent or conflicting version appearing elsewhere. Specific policies pertaining to academics, administration, and student life are housed in the respective Vice President offices.
These policies are intended to support safe, respectful, and ethical living, learning and work environments in compliance with the University's mission, vision, and values and applicable state, local, and federal law. All Northeastern State University faculty, staff and students are expected to be familiar with and abide by the University's policies.
The University homepage and/or policy web site is a work in progress, as the comprehensive review of all University policies continues. Regardless of current review status, all of the policies on this web site have been approved through the University's formal policy development process and are in force.
The goals of the policy project are to:
- Align policy with mission, vision, values and goals of the University;
- Encourage and formalize policy compliance;
- Standardize policy format;
- Eliminate redundancies;
- Improve organization, accessibility, search, and navigation; and
- Clarify processes for submitting new policies and revising existing policies.
Publication of policies on the university web site does not constitute or imply a contract.
University Policy Committee
Membership: Seven members with representation from multiple administrative areas to include the following, plus University General Counsel and Director of Human Resources as ex officio:
- Representatives from each Cabinet member areas (5)
- President of Faculty Council
- Chairman of Staff Council
- General Counsel, ex officio (non-voting)
- Director of Human Resources, ex officio (non-voting when not representing a Cabinet member)
The members will identify a committee chair at the beginning of each academic year. The committee will have the Process Improvement Coordinator to serve as the Recorder.
Functions: This committee leads the review process for all proposed new/revised university- wide policies. The committee serves as a resource to university departments regarding policy development and implementation. This committee reviews, recommends and forwards policies to the Cabinet.
Meetings: The committee meets monthly, as needed. Recommended policies are submitted to the Cabinet by the appropriate Vice President for final approval.
Process for Policy Revisions and Proposed New Policies
Policy reviews may be submitted by campus community members through the appropriate Vice President using the Policy Routing Form form and Policy Template up to (1) week prior to the Policy Committee's monthly scheduled meeting. These forms are located on the Manual of Policies and Procedures website (https://policies.nsuok.edu). The recorder will develop the Policy Committee's meeting agenda based on submitted Policy Routing Forms received and established meeting dates. A meeting agenda will be made available on the University M drive no less than one (1) week prior to the committee meeting. In the event there are no agenda items, the meeting will be cancelled by the Chair.
The individual submitting the policy request may be asked to attend the meeting to present policy recommendation(s). Additional individuals may be asked to attend the meeting to provide clarification on existing policy and procedures and/or anticipated implications.
The University Policy Committee will review policy recommendations and present proposed changes to the President's Cabinet for final review and approval.
Implementation and Distribution
The policy becomes official upon approval by the President's Cabinet. The following steps outline implementation and distribution of the policy:
- President's Executive Administrative Assistant or the appropriate Vice President will communicate results of Cabinet review to the Policy Committee Chair.
- The recorder will ensure the policy is included/updated on the NSU policy web site;
- Originating Unit will send a campus wide notification via NSU Greenmail;
- The recorder will ensure a copy of the final policy is saved to both the University M drive and the Policy Document Imaging folder; and
- The recorder will provide a hard copy(s) of the final policy to General Counsel.
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