How to Develop a New Policy or Policy Revision
- Identify the issue.
- Discuss the issue and possible policy solutions with your supervisor.
- Obtain agreement in principle and authorization to proceed from the appropriate member of the President’s Leadership Team (PLT).
- Assemble a team to study the issue, including individuals with topical and process expertise as well as potential policy users and those who may be impacted by the policy.
- Craft your policy text, giving attention to the following considerations:
.- Input from stakeholders, impacted parties, and anyone who will play a role in policy implementation.
- Any applicable laws, regulations, or accrediting factors.
- Related existing College policies, with an eye toward ensuring (1) that your policy is not in conflict with them, and, in the case of policy overlap (2) that it is clear when each policy applies.
- Any SACSCOC accreditation-related factors, including possible Substantive Change. See the Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness (VPIE) to discuss this.
- Any specialized terms used in the policy that require definition in order for the policy to be clear and precise.
- The necessity of an appeals process or a process for identifying exceptions to the policy.
- Draft the policy.
- Complete a Policy Proposal/Revision Cover Sheet (PDF). From this point forward, the Policy Proposal/Revision Cover Sheet should always accompany the policy itself.
- Ask the PLT member for your area to bring the policy to the PLT for consideration. If there is a Director, Coordinator, or Chair between you and the PLT member, both of you should do so together. At this point, the successful policy draft will go through the following approval steps:
.- Initial approval by the PLT.
- A ten-day Public Comment period intended to gather feedback from the Randolph College community.
- Final approval by the PLT and President.
- Approval by the Randolph College Board of Trustees (if applicable; the PLT will determine whether approval by the Board of Trustees is required).
The VPIE will guide the policy through these steps. Questions about the policy’s status can be directed to him.
At any point in this approval chain, feedback may lead to requested revision and resubmission.
If the policy is approved …
- The VPIE will post the policy on the Policy Library site and announce the approval of the policy in a campus wide email.
- A single electronic copy of the policy will exist on the Policy Library site. This is the official, current version of the policy. Duplicate electronic copies should not be maintained elsewhere, and all hyperlinks to the policy should point to the copy on the Policy Library site. Any updates should lead to a replacement of this copy with a new one. (Contact the VPIE to so do.)
- If appropriate, arrange to add the policy text to broader College policy publications (e.g., Employee Handbook, Academic Catalog, etc.). Note that Step 10 above applies.
- Consult with your supervisor to formulate a communication plan to policy stakeholders.
- Prepare for and conduct necessary training.
- Implement the policy.