Development, Approval, & Review of Academic & Administrative Policies

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File: Governance Policies

Development, Approval, and Review of Academic and Administrative Policies

Policy summary

This policy provides a framework for the exercise of authority delegated to the President by the Board of Trustees.

Policy Owner

President

Approval Date

February 1, 2017

Effective Date

February 1, 2017

Search Terms

development, approval, review, academic, administrative, policy,
on, policies, p, d, bot, president

Scheduled for Review

Spring 2022

Commitment to Principles of Shared Governance

Fort Lewis College is committed to the principles of shared governance set forward by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in 1966. We believe in the collective decision making process and the representation of key constituency groups. Shared governance requires that all stakeholders (administration, faculty, staff, and students) be allowed meaningful participation in issues that impact them and includes the ability to co-create, co-interpret, and co-enforce policies on a regular basis.

As academic matters are foremost in the operation of the college, we affirm the following statement endorsed by the AAUP, the American Council of Education (ACE) and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB).

The faculty has primary responsibility for such fundamental areas as curriculum, subject matter and methods of instruction, research, faculty status, and those aspects of student life which relate to the educational process.

We acknowledge that the Board of Trustees is charged with the general supervision of the college and the exclusive control and direction of all funds and appropriations to the college, unless otherwise provided by law. We acknowledge that the Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for all legal decision making related to operations of the college under Colorado State Law and as outlined in the FLC Mission Statement and that this responsibility is delegated to the campus administration. With regard to the administration, we affirm they have the primary responsibility to organize the operations of the college in line with state and national regulatory bodies.

There is a delicate balance between participation in planning, the decision making process, and administrative accountability, especially in those areas where the faculty has primary responsibility. It is the responsibility of the administration making decisions to clearly communicate the decisions and the reasons behind the decisions to all impacted parties.

We are committed to the principle of shared governance whereby the different perspectives of all stakeholders are valued and will be heard. Shared governance requires that all stakeholders participate in discussion of issues impacting them. As adequate communication, trust and transparency are critical to informed participation, information that forms the basis for decisions should be shared among the parties involved and there should be adequate time for consideration and response.

We affirm that shared governance is a dynamic process and that the faculty, students, and administration will jointly assess the procedures and policies annually.

Affirmed	Affirmed	Affirmed
Dr. David Blake, President, Faculty Senate	Mr. Connor Cafferty, President, Associated Students of Fort Lewis College	Dr. Dene Kay Thomas, President, Fort Lewis College

Policy Statement

Development
1. Academic and administrative policies authorize or constrain actions for reasons that include, but are not limited to, compliance with laws and regulations, advancement of the institution’s mission and core values, implementation of directives from the Board of Trustees, fulfillment of requirements of bond covenants, improvement of the quality and effectiveness of the academic operation, fulfillment of requirements of the regional accrediting agency, mitigation of risk, improvement of accountability, and/or achievement of operational efficiencies.
2. Any employee may propose the development of an academic or administrative policy.
3. The policy development process must include the senior administrator (either a vice president or the President) with operational responsibility relevant to the policy proposal and relevant campus stakeholders.
  1. For academic policy proposals, relevant campus stakeholders include, but are not limited to, the Council of Chairs, Council of Deans, Faculty Senate, and the administrative staff identified in the “Responsibilities” section. If students are identified in the “Responsibilities” section, the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College is a relevant campus stakeholder.
  2. For administrative policy proposals, relevant campus stakeholders include, but are not limited to, the Council of Vice Presidents, the President’s Cabinet, and the administrative staff identified in the “Responsibilities” section. If students are identified in the “Responsibilities” section, the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College is a relevant campus stakeholder.
4. The Board of Trustees, the President or a vice president may request a legal opinion from the college attorney at any point in the policy development process.
Approval
1. Policy proposals are subject to the following approval process:
  1. For academic policy proposals initiated by faculty, approvals by the Faculty Senate, Provost, and President are required.
  2. For academic policy proposals initiated by administration, approval by the President, after consultation with the Provost, is required.
  3. For administrative policy proposals, approval by the President, after consultation with the vice president with operational responsibility relevant to the policy proposal, is required.
2. The Board of Trustees may review policies and procedures adopted by the President and revise or repeal them as it deems necessary.
Posting
1. All approved academic and administrative policies will be posted on the college policy website in a standard format.
Notification
1. The individuals responsible for following a policy must be notified when the policy has been posted. When those individuals include current students, the faculty and student services staff must also be notified.
Review
1. Academic and administrative policies will be reviewed at least every five years.
2. The senior administrator (vice president or President) with operational responsibility relevant to the policy is responsible for initiating the review.
3. The policy review process must meet the requirements outlined in policy statement 1c.
4. Revisions or deletions of policies must meet the requirements outlined in policy statement 2a and are subject to the requirements of policy statement 2b.
Archiving
1. Policy development, approval, and review documentation will be archived on the college policy website.
2. Policies approved for revision or deletion will be archived prior to the posting of any changes on the college policy website.

Reason for Policy

This policy provides a framework for the exercise of authority delegated to the President by the Board of Trustees in Section 4.4.6 in the Board of Trustees Manual of Policies and Procedures.

Responsibilities

For following policy: Employees

For enforcement of policy: President

For oversight of policy: President

For notification: President’s Office

For documentation of policy development and approval process: President’s Office

For procedures implementing the policy: President’s Office

For joint assessment of effectiveness of shared governance: Faculty Senate, Associated Students of Fort Lewis College, and President

DefinitionsAcademic policy:  Authorizations for or constraints on actions specific to the academic operation, including, but not limited to, academic standards for admission, continuation, and degree completion, academic student conduct, assessment of learning, curriculum development,  instruction, and research, but not including personnel policies and not including directives only relevant to a specific school, department, program, or committee.
 
Administrative policy :  Authorizations for or constraints on actions specific to the administrative operation, including, but not limited to, accounting, budgeting, finance, information technology, facilities, marketing, non-academic student conduct, purchasing, records, and safety,  but not including  personnel policies and  not including  directives only relevant to a specific administrative office or committee.

Cross-Referenced Policies

Board of Trustees Policy and Procedure Manual

Revision History

Policy approved June 25, 2014.

Policy revised to add Faculty Senate to Policy Statement 2.A.ii., August 8, 2014.

This policy was revised February 1, 2017 to include the “Commitment to Principles of Shared Governance” and modify the responsibilities statement to identify who is responsible for joint assessment of effectiveness of shared governance.

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