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Procedure for Creating and Revising University Policies

Capitalized terms used but not defined in this procedure have the meaning assigned in the University Policy-Making Policy.

This procedure applies to University Policies (“Policy”), which have broad applications across the University and meet the requirements listed in the University Policy-Making Policy.  

The Policy Analyst in University Initiatives is responsible for ensuring the creation or revision of a Policy adheres to this procedure.

This procedure is not required for:

  • Interim Policies
  • Policies to be Repealed
  • Unit Policies, which only apply within a particular Unit or only to the operations or transactions within a particular Unit and that are overseen by a particular Unit.
    • Unit Policies may not conflict with University or ABOR Policies, laws, or other regulations.
    • Units are strongly encouraged to consult with the Office of General Counsel (OGC) if there is any uncertainty about potential conflicts.
    • Units should develop a process to receive input from shared governance groups of elected faculty representatives and other shared governance groups and obtain approval from appropriate Unit leadership or University leadership before finalizing changes.
  • Procedures, guidelines, or processes which describe the steps taken to implement or meet the requirements of a Policy.

PROCEDURE

  1. Identify Need for Revising a Current Policy or Creating a New Policy.  If a member of the University Community believes a current Policy should be modified or a new Policy should be created, the individual shall notify the Responsible Unit noted on the Policy to discuss potential changes to the Policy, or contact University Initiatives/Policy Analyst with any questions. Shared governance groups of elected faculty representatives, such as the Faculty Senate and Committee of Eleven, and other shared governance groups, such as the Classified Staff Council, Associated Students of the University of Arizona (ASUA), and the Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC), play a unique and important role in suggesting new policies or policy revisions. The role of elected faculty representatives is recognized in ARS 15-1601(B). Responsible Units should engage with elected faculty representatives and shared governance groups to discuss their policy ideas and feedback.
  2. Designate a Policy Sponsor. When there is a need to revise a current Policy or create a new Policy the Responsible Unit designates a Policy Sponsor. A “Policy Sponsor” is the administrator or compliance professional who oversees the Unit responsible for the Policy. Policy Sponsors may delegate the steps of this procedure but are ultimately responsible for the new or revised Policy.
  3. Contact the Policy Analyst. The Policy Sponsor must inform the Policy Analyst of the proposed changes. The Policy Analyst is responsible for facilitating the request for a new Policy or proposed changes to a current Policy in accordance with this procedure. 
  4. Develop and Draft Policy Language for Conceptual Review. Policy Sponsors should consult with OGC at this initial stage and throughout the steps of this procedure to ensure the proposed new or revised Policy comports with University and ABOR Policies, laws or other regulations. When beginning to draft or revise a Policy, refer to the Policy Style Guide for style and writing guidelines, and explanations for each of the policy sections.
  5. Prepare the University Policy Template and Policy Impact and Tracking Statement. Policy Sponsors must use the University Policy Template to draft a new Policy or revise a current Policy. For a revised Policy, Policy Sponsors must create a tracked changes version of the current Policy to highlight the proposed changes. In addition, Policy Sponsors must complete and submit the University Policy Impact and Tracking Statement to the Policy Analyst along with the Policy.
  6. Request Conceptual Review. Before seeking feedback, the Policy must be reviewed by the President. The Policy Analyst will submit the Policy (including a clean version and a tracked changes version of the current Policy) and the University Policy Impact and Tracking Statement to the Executive Office of the President, which will coordinate the review by the President. The President will determine if the new or revised Policy will move forward.
  7. Notify Senior Leadership Team. Upon notice that conceptual review was provided, members of the Senior Leadership Team will, for informational purposes, be notified of the new or revised Policy.
  8. Notify Leaders of Shared Governance Groups of Elected Faculty Representatives and Other Shared Governance Groups. Once the Senior Leadership Team is notified of the new or revised Policy and before submitting the Policy through UAnnounce for potential shared governance and University Community feedback, the Policy Analyst will notify the leaders of shared governance groups of elected faculty representatives and other shared governance groups of the new or revised Policy, so that leaders may share the Policy with their members and invite them to submit comments during the feedback period, and if desired, invite the Policy Sponsor to their next scheduled committee meeting to provide a briefing on the Policy draft.
  9. Gather Feedback. Feedback is collected for a period of 30 calendar days from the initial date of publication. The Policy Analyst solicits feedback from the shared governance groups and the University Community as follows:
  1. Notify the University Community via UAnnounce and invite them to submit comments.
  2. Publish the proposed Policy on the University Policies portal. The Policy will remain posted until the Policy is approved by the President or retracted by the Policy Sponsor.
  1. Consider Revisions Based on Feedback. The Policy Analyst will provide the Policy Sponsor with the feedback collected throughout the feedback period. The Policy Sponsor will review the feedback and any additional comments gathered directly from shared governance groups and the University Community with OGC.  If OGC determines that significant changes to the Policy language are warranted, the revised Policy will be re-published per Step 9 above.
  2. Obtain Endorsement and Approval. The Policy Analyst submits the final new or revised Policy, including any additional required tracked changes, and the updated Policy Impact and Tracking Statement to the Executive Office of the President, which will coordinate endorsement by the President. If the Policy is endorsed by the President, the Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel signs the Policy Approval Cover Sheet and submits the Policy and the Policy Approval Cover Sheet to the Executive Office of the President for the President’s approval and signature on the Policy Approval Cover Sheet.
  3. Post the New or Revised Policy. Upon receipt of the signed Policy Approval Cover Sheet, the Policy Analyst will:
    1. Publish the approved Policy in UAnnounce. 
    2. Post the approved Policy on the University Policies portal.
  1. Conduct Ongoing Policy Review. All Policies should be reviewed on a regular basis by the Responsible Unit, at a minimum, every 3 years to ensure accuracy and relevancy.

 

 

Revised: February 2024

Revised: March 2023

Revised: December 2022

Effective: February 15, 2019