Policy on Policies

Policy Statement

The SUNY Oneonta Policy on Policies ensures that the institution’s policies support the mission and values of the University. This policy provides clear guidelines for policy development, approval, implementation, and the criteria and standards that apply across the institution. This policy is a supplement to SUNY Policies and Procedures and does not supersede it.
Policies are distinguished from procedures based on the definitions provided in the “Definitions” section of this document.

Rationale

This policy will provide guidance, consistency, and transparency for developing institutional policies, as well as ensuring that University-wide policies are presented in consistent format and promote accountability and compliance in all areas.

Applicability of the Policy

This policy applies to all SUNY Oneonta faculty and staff.

Policy Elaboration

All University-wide policies must be approved by the Executive Staff and are housed in the Policy Library. The Office of Institutional Research is responsible for managing the Policy Library webpage.

All University-wide policies should be in the following format: Policy Library Format

Policies that are not University-wide are not published in the Policy Library. Areas are responsible for maintaining and publishing policies that do not have university-wide application – subject to the approval of the area’s highest-ranking administrator. Area specific policies typically have purposes such as:

• Address needs at the area level or control issues for a small subset of the University
• Apply only to students, staff, or faculty within the issuing area

Periodic Review and Amendment of Institutional Polices

The Office of Institutional Research is responsible for managing the cycle and timeline of review while the Executive Staff is responsible for ensuring the policies are reviewed and are in line with and adhere to SUNY, state, and federal policies.

The policy owner should lead the cyclical review and/or revisions of the policies to ensure compliance with current regulations and practices, align with best practices and advance the institution’s mission. This review should take place at least every 5 years.

If the Executive Staff determine that a policy requires modification or revision, the policy owner will draft the necessary changes and bring through the review process described below. If there is no obvious policy owner, then the Executive Staff will identify and appoint someone to assume this role.

If an administrative unit, department, faculty/staff member, or student wishes to recommend that an existing policy be revised before the next schedule review, then they should contact the policy owner.

Review and Approval of a New University Policy or Policy Revision

If a policy owner determines that a University-wide policy is needed (either new or revised) or is directed to establish or revise an existing policy, they should submit a proposal via the workflow management system.

All University policies require the approval of the Executive Staff and President. If the policy is related to academics or curriculum review by Shared Governance is also required. The Executive Staff may approve a draft policy proposal or return for further revision. The Executive Staff has the authority to withdraw approval of a proposed policy.

Once a University policy is approved and adopted by the Executive Staff the Office of Institutional Research will publish it to the Policy Library webpage.

Interim University Policy

Executive Staff members with the approval of the President may develop an interim University policy if circumstances make it necessary. In these cases, the interim University policy will be in effect until a formally approved policy becomes effective.

Definitions

Academic Policies: policies concerning the educational mission of the institution and are under the purview of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, who may consult with Shared Governance when appropriate

Administrative Policies: non-academic policies governing the operations of the University, issued from areas such as, Communication and Marketing, Finance and Administration, Human Resources, Office of Equity and Inclusion, Admissions and Recruitment, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and University Police

Classroom Policies: policies governing operations within individual classrooms that are individual to faculty. These policies must align with associated university policies.

Department and School Policies: policies governing the operation of a particular school or department. The policies must align with associated university polices.

Executive Staff: Members of the President’s executive staff including but not limited too all
university Vice Presidents

Foundation Policies: policies established and governed by the SUNY Oneonta Foundation owned by the Division of University Advancement

Governance Policies: the means by which institutions of higher education are formally organized and managed, i.e. the way university are operated

Policy: An official statement expressing the position of the University on an issue of university-
wide importance. A University Policy

• is a governing principle that mandates or constrains actions, establishes rights or obligations, or guides the decisions and actions of the University;
• has broad application;
• exists to achieve compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and organizational requirements; to promote operational efficiencies, to enhance the University’s mission; to reduce institutional risk; and/or to promote ethical standards, integrity and accountability;
• is approved by the administrative authority of the University and/or the Board of Trustees

Policy Library: a web-based centrally located system containing the most recent finalized version of all University wide polices for SUNY Oneonta

Policy Owner: any employee or office who is designated by the President or any members of the Executive Staff to develop and maintain a university policy

Procedure: Operational processes that detail how to carry out and support a policy. They are the steps taken to implement a policy.

Shared Governance: The structures and processes through which faculty, professional staff,
administration, students, staff, and governing boards participate in the development of policies and in decision-making that affect the institution.

Student Policies: policies which directly pertain to and affect student life at the University

Procedures

To review the procedures of this policy, click the URL link or copy and paste the URL into your web browser.

URL Link: Policy Workflows

URL: https://oneonta365.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/oir/ET75CfCLLMRBmDIEWhNeEmIBUnWV5aKao1jGE7MgTK7SGw?e=b4jZsF&wdLOR=cC9ACF044-D3A0-40C4-B51F-9BB9C9AC2900

Forms

• Policy Format

Contacts

Questions related to the daily operational interpretation of this policy should be directed to:

Office of Institutional Research

607.436.2844

Oir@oneonta.edu

Related Documents/Policies

Policy Library

Effective Dates

Approved by President: September 19, 2023