University Policy Creation and Development

Policy Statement

Cal Poly Pomona formally approves, promulgates in a consistent format, and centrally maintains all official university policies. This document stipulates the process for creation and development of all university policies.

Description of University Policy

A University Policy is a written statement, approved by the President of the University, that specifies appropriate actions, activities, and behavior, and that generally has University-wide applicability.

A University Policy should accomplish the following:

• Direct the university, its constituents and affiliated entities according to the university’s mission and goals.
• Help ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and executive orders; help reduce the university’s risk.

A University Policy can be “academic” or “administrative” as defined:

• Academic policy directs the education functions of the university including but not limited to admission and degree requirements, the curriculum and methods of teaching, academic and professional standards, and the conduct of creative and scholarly activities (1). 

• Administrative policy directs the non-academic operational functions of the university.

Departmental or divisional guidelines, practices, and procedures, although useful and important, do not have university-wide applicability and are therefore not considered University Policies.

Need for University Policies 

Cal Poly Pomona University Policies guide the campus in support of the university mission and vision. University Policy creation and development may be motivated by actions which include, but are not limited to, changes in the law, court rulings, actions by the California State University Board of Trustees, or the need for internal direction within the campus community.

Creation and Development of a University Policy

A. Content: a policy document shall contain the following components:

1. A policy header stating
   • Subject
   • Number as assigned
   • Date Issued
   • Effective Date
   • Initiating Entity
   • Affected Entities
   • Responsible Entity
   • Revisions if any
2. Concise policy statement

   A statement of the policy in language that can be understood by all affected entities.

3. Description of the policy

   A detailed description which includes the need for this particular policy, citing references if applicable.  This may include legal and regulatory reasons, the existing or potential problems to be resolved, or the policy’s contribution to the university mission.

4. Affected and responsible entities

   A full description of those who should know and observe the policy, and of the entities responsible for related procedures, implementation and oversight.

5. Consequences of non-compliance

   A brief description of actions that may be taken as a result of non-compliance.

6. Entities that were consulted and time periods

7. Definition of terms

B. Consultation 

Attached is the flowchart (pdf) which diagrams the consultation process.

Once a university-level policy need is identified and agreed upon, the area with primary responsibility develops a draft of the proposed policy with input from appropriate university constituents.  In the rare instance where consensus cannot be reached on the need for a University Policy or the type of policy (Academic or Administrative), the President will be consulted to decide the issue. During the policy development phase, it is essential that consultation take place with appropriate university constituents.  Often work groups are constituted comprised of faculty, administrators and/or staff connected to the proposed policy.

Collegial governance allows the academic community to work together to resolve issues facing the university.  Collegiality rests on a network of interlinked procedures jointly devised, whose aim is to assure the opportunity for timely advice pertinent to decisions about curricular and academic personnel matters (2).

In order to ensure that appropriate university-wide consultation occurs before new policies are approved, proposals for new policies or requests for revisions to existing policies must contain documentation outlining the consultation process followed in developing or revising the policy

The consultation process shall take into consideration consistency of the proposed policy with the CSU Statement on Collegiality, all Collective Bargaining Agreements, and the Constitution of the Academic Senate. 

Prior to final approval and implementation, the full content of a proposed policy or revision must be communicated to the campus community and posted to the Policy Forum. 

After incorporating the conclusions and recommendations of the final review, a University Policy document is forwarded to the President for approval. Once the policy is approved by the President, the campus community is notified and the policy is posted to the Policy Repository by the Policy Curator.

C. Communication to University Community

The university community shall be notified each time a proposed new or revised policy is posted to the Policy Forum, and each time an approved policy is posted to the Policy Repository.

At a minimum, this notification shall include: 1. The Policy Statement; 2. The Affected and Responsible Entities; 3. The Policy Number and Effective Date.

An annual reminder on where to find University Policies shall be sent to the campus community.  This reminder shall include a summary of changes made during the prior year.

D. Policy Repository

University Policies shall be kept in a central repository accessible via the web.  The repository shall also serve as a historical archive for revised or superseded policies.

Affected and responsible entities

Individuals throughout the campus community responsible for writing, updating, and distributing university policies must comply with this policy.  The University President is responsible for implementation and enforcement of this policy. 

Consequences of non-compliance

Proposed policies developed after the implementation of this policy on University Policy Creation and Development shall not be considered University Policy until they are developed and formally approved according to this policy. 

Entities that were consulted and time periods

The University Policy Creation and Development draft dated May 2006 was developed by the Blue Ribbon Policy on Policy Committee, initiated by then President J. Michael Ortiz in March 2005 and continuing through May 2006.  Committee membership included faculty appointed by the Academic Senate, administrators appointed by the President, and staff appointed by the President.

Definition of terms

None

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(1) Partial quote from “CSU Statement on Collegiality. Report of the Board of Trustees Ad Hoc Committee On Governance, Collegiality, and Responsibility in the CSU.”  Principles and Policies-Papers Of the Academic Senate CSU, Adopted Sept. 1985,  Retyped 2/18/1999,  n.pag.

(2) Partial quote from “CSU Statement on Collegiality. Report of the Board of Trustees Ad Hoc Committee On Governance, Collegiality, and Responsibility in the CSU.”  Principles and Policies-Papers Of the Academic Senate CSU, Adopted Sept. 1985,  Retyped 2/18/1999,  n.pag.