Background and Purpose

The College Policies Formation Process policy offers the basic framework for the creation, assessment, and modification of campus policies, and establishes a shared vocabulary, format, and filing system for policies documents.

College policies must be publicly available, clearly written, suitable to the institution, free from internal and external inconsistencies, and subject to periodic assessment and modification. The policies must balance the value of shared governance, institutional effectiveness, and the need for flexibility to respond to unanticipated events and conditions.

Authority

The Chancellor has authority over this policy.

Definitions

In this context, “policy” is distinct from “guidelines” in that policies are binding to those subject to them and require following a specific process to adopt or modify them, whereas guidelines are suggestions or recommendations and can be created and changed by an authorized person or office as needed.

Procedures

A. Policy Creation and Revision Process

The typical policy creation and revision process shall be as follows:

Step 1. Creating the Proposal

For a policy that does not exist, the draft policy document should be created under the direction of the person who will have immediate authority over that policy.

For an existing policy, the proposed modification should be created either under the direction of the person who will have immediate authority over that policy or in the way specified in the existing policy document.

The person overseeing the policy change shall also create a memo requesting that the Chancellor authorize the adoption of the policy. The memo, which will be formatted for the Chancellor’s signature and other signatures and initials as needed, will specify the action requested, the purpose of the change, the implementation plan, and other elements as appropriate. This memo will be attached to the policy proposal.

Step 2. Discussion and Other Input

The policy proposal will be posted for comments on the college’s Discussion Board for 10 business days. The discussion can be extended for a specified time at the discretion of the person overseeing the policy change or by the Chancellor.

During the discussion stage, the Director of Planning, Research, and Assessment shall ensure that the policy does not conflict with the University of Hawai‘i policies and other relevant policies and regulations.

Other forms of communication may also be used to obtain feedback about the proposed policy changes, such as campus open forums and campus surveys.

The Chancellor or the person overseeing the policy change may also request additional advice from other people and groups both on and off campus.

In cases where a group has a formal recommending role, such as Faculty Senate’s role in providing recommendations on academic matters as enumerated in Article I of the Faculty Senate Constitution, that formal input will be provided directly to the person overseeing the policy change. The formal recommendations will also be forwarded to the Chancellor.

Step 3. Modification of Proposal

In light of the input, the person overseeing the policy change may revise the policy and memo as appropriate. Modifying the proposal in no way guarantees acceptance of the proposed policy.

The person overseeing the policy change may decide, or the Chancellor may require, that the revised policy proposal be submitted for further discussion and input.

If a formal recommendation was made, the Chancellor may request that the recommending body review the final draft.

Step 4. Acceptance

The person overseeing the policy change forwards the policy to all specified signatories and then submits it for final approval to the Chancellor, who will sign and date the memo.

An announcement of the new policy will be sent to the college.

Step 5. Documentation

A digital version of the new policy and the signed memo will be posted on the college’s governance website, the new policy will be posted on the college’s policy page, and other links will be created as appropriate.

The original signed documents will be archived in a place designated by the Chancellor.

Under exceptional circumstances, the Chancellor can create or revise any of the college’s policies without following the stated process. A memo communicating the change and explaining the reasons must be distributed to the college and posted on the College website when the new policy is enacted.

B. Assessing College Policies

Unless otherwise noted in the specific policy document, the Chancellor will establish an ad hoc committee to review all campus policies at least every five years.

Policies shall be assessed for criteria such as currency, internal coherence, consistency with other policies, and relevance to the College’s mission.

Exclusion
There are no exclusions

Revision
The Chancellor is responsible for revising this policy and will do so in the manner outlined by this policy.

Revised October 28, 2024