麻豆社

University Policies

Official University Policy Manual

Creating, Updating, Revising, and Rescinding University Policies

Approval Date: October 7, 2025
Responsible Office: Policy Advisory Group
Responsible Administrator: University President
Approved By: University President

SCOPE (WHO SHOULD READ THIS POLICY)

Any member of the 麻豆社 Illinois University community who is considering creating, updating, revising, or rescinding a University policy. 聽

POLICY STATEMENT

麻豆社 Illinois University (麻豆社) creates policies and procedures to guide members of the University community in conducting University affairs. 聽University policies are designed to communicate the University鈥檚 shared values, to create common expectations for behavior, to reduce institutional risk, and to promote compliance with all applicable laws, bylaws, regulations, and rules.

REASON FOR POLICY

This policy sets forth the process for creating, updating, revising, or rescinding all University policies to ensure that applicable policies are clear, consistent, and in furtherance of the University鈥檚 mission. 聽

DEFINITIONS

  • Key Stakeholders: Divisions or units of the University, other than the responsible office putting forth a proposed policy or policy revision, that are adjudged by the University president or vice presidents to have a sufficiently large interest in the policy to warrant their consultation in the policy鈥檚 formation or revision.
  • Policy Advisory Group (PAG): A standing committee of University administrators, faculty, and staff, with co-chairs appointed by the President. The PAG reviews new and substantially revised University policies to ensure clarity and consistency with all other University policies and administers the Policy Review Cycle to ensure that existing policies are updated on a timely basis. The PAG is responsible for drafting and, as necessary, revising the Policy Request Form and the policy on Creating, Updating, Revising, and Rescinding University Policies. The Policy Advisory Group is additionally responsible for maintaining a central repository of University policies.
  • Policy Request Form: A form that proposes the creation of a new University policy or substantial revisions to an existing University policy. The Policy Request Form shall be presented by the responsible officer at a meeting of the Policy Advisory Group.
  • President鈥檚 Cabinet: A standing committee of individuals who provide institutional review and approval of new and substantially revised University policies. Cabinet members are appointed by the president.
  • Responsible Administrator(s): The president or the respective vice president(s) who "sponsor(s)" a University policy that falls within their professional area. Depending on the scope of its subject matter, a policy may have more than one responsible administrator.
  • Responsible Officer/Office(s): The individual and University office(s) designated by the responsible administrator(s) to develop and administer a University policy, communicate with and train the University community in the policy鈥檚 requirements, and execute the policy鈥檚 timely updating and revision.
  • Unit-Level Policy: A policy employed by a college, department, school, or other operating unit that does not meet the characteristics of a University policy. Academic and curricular policies are considered to be unit-level policies that must follow the faculty governance procedures identified in Section I.C.4 of the Board of Trustee Regulations. Unit-level policies are not subject to the procedures set forth in this policy.
  • University Policy: A University policy is an official University position on an issue that will have at least one of the following characteristics:
    1. The policy mandates requirements of or provisions for all members of the 麻豆社 community and provides procedures for implementation.
    2. The policy has broad application throughout the University.
    3. The policy impacts more than one operational area at the University.
    4. The policy affects more than one constituency (e.g., faculty, staff, students, alumni, or retirees).
    5. The policy enhances the University鈥檚 mission, reduces institutional risk, and/or promotes operational efficiency.
    6. The policy helps achieve compliance with any applicable laws, regulations, bylaws, and rules.
    7. The policy was previously reviewed and approved by the President鈥檚 Cabinet.

Note: There are some policies that predate this policy and, as a consequence, have not been through the entire process outlined herein. They remain official University policies and, in time, are expected to undergo this process.聽

PROCEDURES

  1. Creating a New University Policy:

    New University policies may be initiated by a "responsible officer," typically a unit head, to support the missions of their unit at the University. Any individual or unit may identify the need for a new policy, but at least one responsible administrator must agree to sponsor the policy and one responsible officer must be designated to be responsible for the policy鈥檚 development.

    To initiate the policy-making process, the responsible officer should email the Policy Advisory Group (policy-advisory-g@wiu.edu) with the subject matter of the proposed policy and a one- to two-sentence description of why the policy is necessary. The Policy Advisory Co-Chairs will consult with the president and the respective vice presidents to identify which stakeholders, if any, should be invited to participate in the policy-making process. Administrative policies that are likely to impact the classroom, the curriculum, individual courses, and/or instruction shall be submitted to Faculty Senate for consultation.

    The responsible officer shall work with the key stakeholders in drafting a new policy. Key stakeholders shall consult their constituents, as appropriate, during the drafting process to ensure that the campus community has an opportunity to provide feedback. Upon completion of the policy draft, the responsible officer shall fill out a Policy Request Form identifying the proposed text of the policy and the rationale for formulating the policy.

    A draft of the proposed policy shall be distributed to the members of the Policy Advisory Group at least five days in advance of a PAG review meeting. The responsible officer shall present the draft policy at the meeting, where the document will be reviewed for clarity and consistency with other University policies. As with all policy documents, the responsible officer will provide the content, while the PAG will be responsible for editorial aspects.

    The Policy Advisory Group, by majority vote of members attending the review meeting, will determine if the policy is: (1) approved, as is, for consideration by the Cabinet; (2) conditionally approved for consideration by the Cabinet if identified revisions are made or other conditions are met; or (3) not approved. Policies that fail to gain the PAG鈥檚 approval may be revised and resubmitted to the PAG for review or may be submitted for the Cabinet鈥檚 approval with the PAG鈥檚 comments.

    If applicable following the PAG meeting, the responsible officer will work with the PAG Co-Chairs to make agreed-upon changes proposed by the Policy Advisory Group.

    Once such changes have been completed, the PAG Co-Chairs will distribute the final draft of the policy to members of the Cabinet at least five days in advance of the Cabinet meeting. The responsible officer will present the final policy draft at this meeting to answer questions, if any, from the Cabinet. For final policy approval, the responsible officer will work with the PAG Co-Chairs to make changes, if any, as directed by the Cabinet.

    Any key stakeholders who were substantially involved in the formulation of a policy should also be involved with any substantive changes to the policy by the Policy Advisory Group or Cabinet. Stylistic changes or minor edits to make the substance of the policy clear, however numerous they may be, do not need to be returned to such body.

    Once the Cabinet and the president have approved a policy, the PAG Co-Chairs will note on the document the date of final approval and will announce the policy to the University community pursuant to Paragraph 6, below.

  2. Updating an Existing University Policy:

    On an as-needed basis, a responsible officer may work with the Policy Advisory Group Co-Chairs to make routine updates to an existing University policy (such as new contact names, position titles, and e-mail or Web addresses). With the approval of the responsible administrator, the date of such changes shall be recorded on the policy document, with the notation 鈥淯pdated鈥� and the applicable date. Routine updates do not need to be submitted to the entire Policy Advisory Group, do not require the approval of the Cabinet or the president, and will not be the subject of a public announcement under Paragraph 6, below. Policy Advisory Group Co-Chairs will still direct that the updated policy be included on the 麻豆社 website at wiu.edu/policies.

  3. Revising an Existing University Policy:

    Substantial changes to the substance of an existing policy must be approved by the responsible administrator(s), reviewed by the Policy Advisory Group, and approved by the Cabinet consistent with the process for the creation of a new policy set forth in Paragraph 1, above.

    Revised policy documents should be presented showing proposed changes, unless the changes are so extensive as to make such an approach impractical. In this event, the existing policy document and the document with the proposed revisions shall be provided to the PAG and to the Cabinet at the time of review.

    The date of such changes shall be recorded on the policy document with the notation 鈥淩evised鈥� and the applicable date. The Policy Advisory Group will announce the policy revisions to the University community pursuant to Paragraph 6, below.

  4. Rescinding an Existing University Policy:

    In special circumstances, it may be appropriate to rescind an existing University policy or to consolidate two or more University policies into a single policy. In such an event, a responsible officer shall consult with the office or division originally responsible for drafting the policy and must obtain the approval of the responsible administrator(s) who oversees the University area originally responsible for the policy. If a consensus is reached that it is appropriate to rescind the policy, the responsible officer shall submit a Policy Request Form for approval by the Policy Advisory Group and the Cabinet. The Policy Advisory Group shall issue a public announcement that the policy has been rescinded pursuant to Paragraph 6, below.

  5. Establishing an Interim University Policy:

    When a University policy is needed within a time-frame that does not allow for the completion of the procedures outlined in this policy, the responsible officer may ask the Cabinet to allow promulgation of the policy on an interim basis. A responsible officer who seeks to petition the Cabinet directly for approval of an interim policy shall notify at least one Co-Chair of the Policy Advisory Group of the intention to do so. An interim policy may only be submitted directly to the Cabinet with the approval of the responsible administrator who oversees the University area responsible for the policy.

    An interim policy shall remain in effect for six to 12 months. Extensions beyond this period must be approved by the Cabinet, in no longer than 6-month intervals. To derive the benefits of the procedures set forth herein, the interim policy must complete the process outlined in this policy, preferably within one year of the issuance of the interim policy.

  6. Announcing and Implementing an Approved Policy:

    The Policy Advisory Group will issue an announcement of a new, substantially revised, or rescinded policy by email either through University E-news or the 麻豆社 Employee Announcements, and will direct that such policy be included on the 麻豆社 website at wiu.edu/policies. In the case of a new policy, this announcement will constitute its effective date. The responsible office will deliver any additional communication or training necessary for the policy鈥檚 implementation, and will assist the responsible officer in establishing any support systems necessary to achieve ongoing compliance.

  7. Policy Review Cycle:

    Policy reviews shall be conducted at least every five years by the responsible officer or office, as prompted by the PAG. The Policy Advisory Group is responsible for scheduling the review cycle and shall consult with the responsible office regarding need, conflicts, and compliance.

RESPONSIBILITIES (Implementation and Enforcement)

  • Policy Compliance: The responsible office shall help ensure policy compliance through the establishment of normal business practices which support implementation of the policy. Routinely, the Office of Human Resources, the Director of Equal Opportunity and Access, and the General Counsel may also assist with compliance. The University Internal Auditing Office employs policies as a measurement tool in regular assessments of University operations.聽

Forms

REVISION HISTORY

  • Original: August 1, 2022
  • Revision: October 7, 2025