Introduction

All policies and procedures must be clearly written and well communicated. There are seven steps to developing University policy:

1. Concept agreement.
2. Seek input, perform research, and document.
3. Write a draft policy in the proper format.
4. Route final draft for review and approval.
5. Review by appropriate University officer.
6. Approval of policy.
7. Distribution of approved policy.

Intradepartmental policies do NOT meet University policy criteria and therefore are NOT considered University policy.

Process

1. Concept agreement.
   
   
   1. Receive agreement on the concept and determine, with the department chair/director or immediate supervisor, the constituent(s) impacted by the policy being developed.
      
      
   2. Consult with the determined constituent(s) for agreement on the concept of the proposal.
   
   
2. Seek input, perform research, and document.
   
   
   1. Consider the following when seeking input from constituents and researching for related information:
      
      
      • Establish a committee or focus group to assist in developing the proposed policy. A committee should consist of the owner of the proposed policy, subject matter experts, frequent users of the proposed policy, and representatives of groups affected by the proposed policy.
        
        
      • Consult existing user groups within a particular organization (human resources, financial, academic). These groups can make recommendations based on the impact of the proposed policy on the organization.
        
        
      • Research for related information on the University Web site for Board of Control policies and University Senate proposals, for forms and documents required to complete the procedures attached to the policy, state and federal laws that are relevant to the policy, and similar policies at other colleges and universities.
      
      
   2. Document who was consulted and what research was done by completing the Consulted/Researched form. Include on the form any other pertinent information that may help policy reviewers. Use the standardized form available from Forms and Instructions in Policy 2.1001 Establishing and Creating University Policy and Procedures.
   
   
3. Write a draft policy in the proper format.
   
   

   Use the standardized format to write the proposed policy. For the policy format and available template, refer to Forms and Instructions in Policy 2.1001 Establishing and Creating University Policy and Procedures.

4. Route final draft for review and approval.
   
   
   1. Once the draft policy is written in the proper format, route an electronic copy of the final draft and the consulted/researched form to the policy coordinator.
      
      
      1. The policy coordinator:
         
         
         1. Reviews the policy and procedure for format and ensures that the level of readability is appropriate for the intended audience.
            
            
         2. Forwards the final draft policy and the consulted/researched form to the appropriate department chair/director or immediate supervisor for review and approval.

      NOTE: The coordinator could return the draft policy with recommendations for modification and step four is repeated.

5. Review by appropriate University officer.
   
   

   Once the final draft policy has been approved by the appropriate department chair/director or immediate supervisor, the policy coordinator forwards the final draft policy and the consulted/researched form to the appropriate University officer for review and approval.

   The appropriate University officer will determine when it is necessary to seek legal and/or Executive Council review.

   NOTE: When modifications are requested, the policy coordinator returns the final draft policy to the appropriate department chair/director or immediate supervisor for modifications and step V. is repeated.

6. Approval of policy.
   

   The appropriate University officer approves the formatted, final draft of the policy for distribution to the University community.

7. Distribution of approved policy.
   
   
   1. The policy coordinator:
      
      
      1. Informs the responsible office when the policy is approved.
         
         
      2. Publishes the policy on the University Policy and Procedures Web site available at http://www.mtu.edu/admin/policy/index.htm.
         
         
      3. Distributes the policy for the hard copy versions.
      
      
   2. The responsible office communicates the policy to the University with an announcement in Tech Topics, through e-mail messages to alldepts-l, or released in a memorandum. It is suggested that written communication only refer to the policy and briefly describes changes, then refers users to the policy and procedure Web site.

Related Information

Appendices

Forms and Instructions