About the University Policy Library

Policy Governance

Who administers the university policy development and renewal process?

The following individuals and groups serve in official advisory capacities throughout the policy development process:

Internal Auditor. The Internal Auditor works in tandem with the University Policy Team by: Reviewing procedures to ensure internal controls are in place, reviewing new and revised policies prior to approval to ensure that compliance issues are appropriately addressed, will include independent tests of policy compliance during the audit process, and includes recommendations for management actions for those policy areas that reflect potential risks and control deficiencies.

Policy Advisory Group (PAG). The PAG is comprised of administrative representatives from each division. PAG is chaired by the University Policy Administrator (UPA), who also serves as an ex-officio member. PAG reviews policy proposals and fully-developed policies prior to review and approval by PEG.  PAG members also surface policy needs and conduct regular assessment of the process.

Policy Executive Group (PEG).  The PEG is comprised of the President’s Senior Team (except University Counsel) and the Internal Auditor. The Internal Auditor serves as an ex-officio member of the group. The University Counsel serves as counsel to the group. PEG reviews and approve policy proposals and fully-developed policies.  PEG also sets policy development priorities, approves the Annual Policy Development Calendar, and reviews results of assessments to determine if modifications are needed to the policy development and renewal process.

University Counsel.  The University Counsel works in tandem with the University Policy Team by: Communicating new and updated external regulations, mandates, and policies that must be incorporated into university policies, and reviewing from a legal perspective new and revised policies prior to final approval.

University Policy Team (UPT). The UPT provides coordination, oversight, and support for the policy development and renewal process.  The UPT is comprised of the University Policy Administrator (UPA), and the University Policy Coordinator (UPC) and the Associate Vice President (AVP) for Institutional Effectiveness. The UPT works closely with University Counsel and the Internal Auditor who provide consultation on compliance and related issues.

University Policy Administrator (UPA). The UPA is responsible for all front-facing policy development activities. The UPA chairs the Policy Advisory Group (PAG). 

University Policy Coordinator (UPC). The UPC is responsible for all back-office policy development activities. The UPC maintains the Policy Library, provides the University with regular policy updates, and schedules and attends all policy-related meetings.

Policy Governance Committee

UNIVERSITY POLICY TEAM (UPT)

 

POLICY ADVISORY GROUP (PAG)

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Policy Approval Process

How do I get a university policy started?

If you have an idea for a policy that would be administered by your department, you should contact your department head. If the department head concurs, he or she should follow the standard process, beginning with completion of the Rationale to Proceed.  

If you have an idea for a policy that would be administered by another department, you should contact a PAG representative.  PAG representatives are listed on the Policy Library webpage. PAG will adhere to the following process when considering suggestions for policies brought to it through this avenue:

1. The PAG representative contacted will discuss your rationale with you.
2. The PAG representative contacted will work with the UPT to add the item to a PAG meeting agenda. 
   • The rationale will be provided to PAG prior to the meeting for review and consideration.
   • As necessary, the UPT will consult with the Internal Auditor and provide information to PAG prior to the meeting. This consultation may include guidance on risk and prioritization.
3. Discussion at the PAG meeting may result in a conclusion:
   • To recommend the policy be developed.
   • That a policy addressing the issue already exists, and thus no further action is required.
   • That a policy is not warranted.
4. You will be notified of the conclusion of the discussion, via communication from the UPT.
5. If the conclusion is to recommend a policy be developed, the recommendation will be presented to the Accountable Senior Administrator and/or Responsible Office Designee

Policies go through a multi-phase process:

Phase I: Proposing

• Any employee wishing to propose, revise, or retire a policy meet with the University Policy Team (UPT) to discuss the policy and schedule a date for the review process to begin.
• The Accountable Senior Administrator and Responsible Office Designee prepare a Rationale to Proceed template and present it to the Policy Advisory Group (PAG) for review and feedback.
• After any PAG-requested revisions are made and upon PAG endorsement, the Accountable Senior Administrator and Responsible Office Designee present the Rationale to Proceed to the Policy Executive Group (PEG) for review, feedback and approval to move forward.
• Approved justifications for developing new or revising existing policies move to Phase II; approved justifications for retiring policies are forwarded to the President and, if required, the Board of Trustees for approval.

Phase II: Drafting

• The Responsible Office Designee creates a team to create the policy. The team will be comprised of knowledgeable staff from relevant offices.
• The team drafts the policy using the Policy template.

Phase III: Approving

• The Accountable Senior Administrator and the Responsible Office Designee present the fully developed policy to PAG for review and feedback.
• After any PAG-requested revisions are made and upon PAG endorsement, the Accountable Senior Administrator and the Responsible Office Designee present the fully developed policy to PEG for review, feedback and approval to move forward to the President.
• The UPT secures official approvals using the Policy Approval Form.

Phase IV: Implementing

• The UPT communicates the approved policy to the community through email updates, assigns the policy an administrative number, and posts it to the Policy Library.  If the policy is a revision to an existing policy or if an existing policy is being retired, the UPT moves the policy to the archives.
• The Responsible Office Designee educates and trains the community as appropriate.
• The Internal Auditor schedules a review to monitor policy compliance two years after implementation.

Phase V: Assessing

• After implementation, if internal circumstances or external regulations require policy revision, the Responsible Office Designee schedules a full-review of the policy to accommodate the changes.
• If internal circumstances or external regulations do not require policy revision, the Responsible Office Designee schedules a full-review of the policy five-years after implementation to ensure currency and relevance.
• If the policy may present risks to the University, the Internal Auditor will present the area for a proposed review to the Finance and Audit Committee Chair for his consideration in approving the audit and including it on the Annual Audit Plan.

Does this process apply to all University policies?

This process applies to all University policies except academic policies that are vetted through the University Senate.

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FAQs

Where are policies located?

All policies will be posted to the University Policy Library webpage. Policies may also be linked on other pages, but most policies are housed on the policy webpage. The only exception to this is academic policies that go through Senate.  These policies are housed on the catalog website.  Although the Policy Development and Renewal Process does not apply to these polices, for completeness, they are linked to the Policy Library webpage.

Who approves policies?

The President and (if required) the Board of Trustees are the final approvers of University policies. Policies are not official until these approvals are secured.  The President is authorized to approve an Interim Policy based on specific criteria.  Interim policies remain in effect until the policy is vetted through the formal review and approval process.

How will I know when a new policy is approved?

The University Policy Coordinator (UPC) sends monthly updates listing all policy activities during the month.  In addition, new or revised policies are posted to the University Policy Library webpage as soon as they are approved. 

When will I receive a response on my policy request?

Policy requests submitted by the first of the month will receive a response by the 15th. Policy requests submitted by the 15th of the month will receive a response by the 30th (or last day of the month).

What is an interim policy?

An interim university policy is a policy that has been issued in a situation where a policy needs to be established in a time period too short to allow vetting through the official policy development process (e.g., new legislation, incident on campus). The President has the authority to authorize the issuance of an interim university policy.

What is the process for approving interim policies?

Individuals who need to propose, revise, or retire a policy on an interim basis meet with the University Policy Team (UPT) to discuss.  The UPT reviews with the PEG.  If approved, the PEG sets the time limit for which the interim policy can remain in effect (up to one year), and moves to the President for approval on the interim basis.  

How long can an interim policy remain in effect?

Any policy that is approved on an interim basis will be added – at Phase I – to the agenda for the next PAG meeting.  The Accountable Senior Administrator and the Responsible Office Designee must present their Approval to Proceed justification at that meeting and begin the standard process.  No policies under the authority of the Accountable Senior Administrator will be placed on either a PAG or a PEG agenda until the interim policy begins the formal cycle. In all cases, interim policies can remain in effect for a maximum of one

How can I make recommendations to improve a policy?

If you have an idea for improving a policy that is administered by your department, you should contact your department head.  If the department head concurs, he or she should follow the standard process, beginning with completion of the Rationale to Proceed.

If you have an idea for a policy that would be administered by another department, you should contact a PAG representative.  PAG representatives are listed on the University Policy Library webpage.  See the How do I get a university policy started? question above for details on the process PAG will follow for suggestions for policy improvements brought through this avenue.

Are there templates or forms that I need to use to develop a policy?

There are three templates/forms used for policy development and renewal.

• Rationale to Proceed – This form is used to secure approval to proceed with development, revision, or retiring of a policy. This form is used in Phase I of the process. Form is included here: Rationale to Proceed
• Policy Template – This form is used to fully develop a policy in standard format. This form is used in Phase II of the process. Form is included here: Policy Template
• Policy Approval Form – This form is used to secure signatures from all approving bodies. All required signatures must be secured before a policy is considered official. The form is retained by the UPC in accordance with NJCU’s record retention policy. Form is included here: Policy Approval Form

What if I know of a policy that is not on the Policies and Standards webpage or Policy Library webpage?

The University seeks to ensure that all policies are linked in one location.  If you know of a policy that is missing from the webpage, please contact the University Policy Team at upt@njcu.edu or 201-200-3073.

How are policy violations managed?

Policy documents include a section outlining how violation of the policy is managed.

What if I have a question about a policy or the Policy Library webpage?

You can contact the University Policy Team at upt@njcu.edu or 201-200-3073 with any questions.

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Policy Activity Updates

New Policies

 

Removed Policies

 

Revised Policies

 

Retired Policies

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