Form – Policy Development and Approval

Reason for Policy/Purpose

This Policy allows for a common, consistent, and transparent process for all College policies to be thoroughly reviewed, approved, implemented, maintained, updated, and communicated/made available to the CCS community. It serves to promote policy awareness, compliance, mitigation of risks, accountability across the institution, and supports a culture of risk-aware decision-making.

Policy Review and Approval Process

The following process will be used for all CCS policies (other than those which CCS deems to be purely administrative in nature).

1. Using the standard policy template, the Policy Owner develops a draft policy or revises a current policy, while proactively seeking input from appropriate members of the College community knowledgeable about the subject. Policies should be drafted so that they are clear and concise and contain sufficient information on the subject without being excessive in length. 
2. The Division Leader receives the request for a new/revised policy. If the draft policy involves compliance with regulatory issues, the Division Leader will request specific input from the leadership team and legal counsel, as applicable and necessary.
3. Upon receipt and integration of input from the leadership team and legal counsel, as applicable, the Division Leader will present the updated policy to the leadership team for approval to move forward with the policy refinement stage.
4. Upon approval from leadership to move forward, the Division Leader will communicate the draft policy to the campus community and any comments should be routed to the Division Leader. Some policies are mandated by State and Federal regulations and may not be subject to change
5. The Division Leader and the Policy Owner will work together, involving campus stakeholders as necessary, to integrate refinement suggestions and determine a communication plan for the final policy. The communication plan may include things like who is required to comply with this policy? Who will implement this policy? When will the policy become effective? Are training materials required? If training/education related to the policy is necessary, it will be planned at this stage.
6. Once the Division Leader determines that the draft is final, it will be sent to the leadership team for approval. The Board of Trustee will receive notification of any new policies.
7. Upon leadership team approval, the Division Leader will implement the communication plan, publish the new policy in the College’s policy database and advise faculty, staff, and/or students (as appropriate) on the availability of education and training directly related to the new or revised policy.

Exceptions to College Policies

While CCS policies are expected to be followed by all College employees and faculty, an exception to a policy may be granted for good cause shown, such as unusual facts or circumstances that make adherence to the CCS policy impossible or impracticable. An exception is ordinarily limited to the particular facts and circumstances giving rise to the request. Exceptions may only be granted by the policy owner.

Interim Policies 

Policies may be drafted by a Division Leader and approved by the leadership team on an interim basis in situations where a College policy must be established in a time period too short to permit the completion of the process delineated in this Policy. An interim policy will remain in force until fully adopted through the process defined in this Policy or for up to twelve months from the date of issuance, whichever occurs first. The leadership team may renew an interim Policy if necessary in their judgment.

Ongoing Policy Review

College policies will be systematically reviewed by Division Leaders and Policy Owners in order to determine whether (a) each is still needed; (b) updates or other changes are needed; and (c) there are gaps that indicate where a new policy should be developed. The results of this ongoing review will be communicated to the College community on an annual basis and, as completed, to each relevant unit where action is recommended.

Decommissioning a College Policy

A Policy Owner who believes that a College policy should be decommissioned may request the Division Leader review that policy for possible decommissioning. The Policy Owner will provide a rationale statement for the request. On an annual basis, the Division Leader will present to College leadership any policies it recommends for decommissioning. If the leadership team determines that decommissioning is appropriate, the Division Leader will be advised of the decision and will work to decommission each policy and related communication to the campus community.