Policy Review and Implementation

Owner: President

Author: Policy Committee

Effective Date: January 1st, 2021

Last Review Data: April 2, 2025

Next Review Date: January 1st, 2030

Applicable Laws, regulations, compliance: None

Purpose: 

The Policy Review and Implementation guides the review, approval, and communication processes for both existing and newly proposed College of St. Scholastica policies, as required by the President’s Cabinet or the Policy Committee. 

This policy also establishes a standard format for institutional policies, ensures that they are current, compliant, and consistent with the College’s mission and values, and outlines expectations for transparency and engagement with the campus community.

Definitions:

Policy:

A policy is a formal, written statement that establishes institutional rules, expectations, or standards. Policies guide decision-making and operations and must align with the mission, values, and legal obligations of The College of St. Scholastica. A policy falls under this definition if it impacts students, faculty, staff, or any institutional population beyond a single unit or department. Even if a policy is developed or maintained by a specific group, it remains within the Policy Committee’s purview to ensure institutional alignment, assess broader impacts — such as accessibility or conflicts with existing policies — and maintain consistency. Items that do not meet this threshold may be more appropriately classified as procedures. 

Procedure:

A procedure outlines the specific steps and processes necessary to implement and carry out a policy effectively. Procedures are operational in nature and are typically maintained by departments or administrative units. Procedures are not embedded within policies but should be accessible and transparent and may be linked to policies. 

Policy Committee:

The Policy Committee includes broad representation from the College community, with members from faculty, staff, and students. The Committee is responsible for conducting the standard review process for institutional policies.

Committee members evaluate proposed and existing policies, ensure alignment with the College’s mission, values, and compliance obligations, and review feedback gathered from the campus community. Members are also expected to represent respective stakeholder groups and actively communicate with them as needed throughout the review process.

Policy Committee Chair:

The Chair of the Policy Committee determines the appropriate review pathway (Abbreviated, Expedited, or Standard) for all policy submissions. The Chair is responsible for facilitating the overall review process, coordinating with stakeholders, cabinet, and legal counsel when necessary, and ensuring that policy decisions and status updates are communicated to the campus community.

Abbreviated Review:

A streamlined review process used for minor, non-substantive changes (e.g., formatting, clarification, grammar) that do not alter the intent, scope, or application of the policy. These changes are reviewed and approved by the Policy Committee Chair and then posted to the policy in the repository.

Expedited Review:

A review process used when a policy must be enacted quickly, typically due to a legal, regulatory, or compliance-related urgency. The Chair consults with key stakeholders as needed. Expedited policies may receive provisional approval from the Cabinet and President and are then subject to Standard Review at the next available opportunity.

Standard Review:

The full review process is conducted by the Policy Committee, which includes thorough evaluation, stakeholder engagement, legal review (if applicable), public comment, Cabinet recommendation, and Presidential approval. This process is required for all new or substantially revised policies that impact institutional populations or functions.

III. Policy 

Scope and Oversight

The Policy Committee is responsible for reviewing all institutional policies — both new and existing — to ensure alignment with the College’s mission, current practice, and legal requirements.

Any policy that impacts students, employees, or institutional operations across multiple departments or units falls under this policy. Department-specific procedures are not subject to this policy unless determined to have a broader institutional impact.

Review Requirements

• All policies must be reviewed at least once every five years.
• The Policy Committee maintains and publishes an annual policy review calendar.
• The Policy Committee Chair determines the appropriate review pathway (Abbreviated, Expedited, or Standard) for each policy submission.

Legal Review

• The need for legal review will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Policy Committee or a Cabinet member, depending on the nature of the policy.
• Policies involving legal matters must be reviewed by legal counsel following Policy Committee review and prior to final Presidential approval.

Shared Governance

• For policies that impact faculty or particular staff areas where there are shared governance obligations, policy committee representatives should circulate and collect information from appropriate stakeholders.

Statutory or Unalterable Policies

• If a policy reflects a law or regulation that cannot be changed, the Policy Committee may waive the campus comment period. These policies must still be published in the repository and communicated for transparency.

Communication and Repository

• Policies become effective upon approval by the President.
• All approved, revised, or rescinded policies must be communicated to the College community by the Policy Committee Chair (or designee).
• Only the version of a policy published in the College’s official policy repository is considered current and authoritative.
• References to policies in other materials (e.g., websites, handbooks, department documents) must link directly to the repository version.
• Policies must not be copied or embedded elsewhere. In the event of discrepancies, the version published in the repository will prevail.

IV. Individuals and entities affected by this policy

Staff, faculty, students

V. Related documents, forms, and procedures 

CSS Policy Template

College Service for Policy Submission

College Guide for Writing Policies

Policy Committee Evaluation Rubric

Procedures 

The following outlines how the Policy Committee and Chair carry out the responsibilities described in the Policy Statement. 

Policy Submission 

The need for a new policy or changes to existing policies may arise at any time, and any member of the faculty, staff, administration, or Student Government Association may bring forth a proposal. 

Submissions must:

• Use the CSS Template
  • Existing policies need to be submitted as a red-lined version
• Be made using the College Service, including:
  • A statement of need 
  • An impact summary (who is affected, why it matters)
• Use best practices
  • Refer to the Guide to Develop & Writing Policies document for assistance

Review Calendar and Scheduling 

The Policy Committee convenes at the start of the academic year to:

• Review and update the policy review calendar.
• Include policies due for five-year review.
• Add any new submissions.
• Publish and update the calendar as needed.
• Conduct an annual orientation and refresher on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles, as well as the Committee’s policy evaluation rubric and review practices.

Review Pathways

Abbreviated Review

• Initiated by the Chair for minor, non-substantive edits.
• Approved changes are posted in the repository and announced as needed.

Expedited Review

• Initiated by the Chair when urgent changes are required (e.g., legal, compliance-related, or accreditation-driven).
• The Chair consults stakeholders and content experts as feasible.
• The draft is submitted to the Cabinet and the President for provisional approval.
• The policy must enter Standard Review at the next available cycle.

Standard Review

Initiated for new or substantially revised policies.

• Review by the Policy Committee
• Call upon content experts or external resources as applicable, and engage in shared governance as applicable
• Campus-wide comment period
• Public Comment and Finalization:
  • The Policy Committee manages the public comment process and maintains a record of all submitted feedback
  • A summary of comments is compiled, including major themes and the Committee’s rationale for any decisions
  • The summary of feedback and Committee decisions is shared with the campus community
• Legal review (if needed)
• Final revisions based on feedback
• Policy Committee Chair (or designee) presents the final drafts to the Cabinet
• Cabinet recommendation
• Presidential approval
• Publication in the repository
• The Chair engages in campus-wide communication