Development and Administration of University Policies and Procedures

1. Purpose

   The University of Maryland Global Campus (“UMGC” or “University”) formulates University policies and procedures to comply with state and federal laws and regulations, University System of Maryland policies, and other regulatory requirements, align operations, implement strategic goals, and establish roles and responsibilities.

   The purpose of this policy is to provide the University community a framework for a consistent approach to the Development and Administration (as defined below) of University policies and procedures, and to provide a mechanism for University-wide collaboration and input into policy actions.

2. Scope and Applicability

   This Policy applies to all individuals involved in the Development and Administration of University policies and procedures.

   Policies subject to this Policy are those policies that are or are intended to be published in the University’s Online Policy Manual or are legally required to be official university policies. Procedures subject to this Policy are those that are related to policies published in the University’s Online Policy Manual.

3. Definitions
   1. Department: As used in this Policy, any operational unit of the University which is led by an individual who sits on the Executive Committee.
   2. Development and Administration: Includes tasks related to the creation, implementation, regular review, revision, discontinuation, or overall enforcement of a policy and any associated procedures.
   3. Executive Committee: A standing group of University leaders, at the Vice President level or higher, appointed and chaired by the University President. 
   4. Policy Owner: As identified in each policy, the University employee who has the overall responsibility for Development and Administration of a particular policy. This will generally be an individual who is a member of the Executive Committee (such as a Senior Vice President, Vice President, or Chief Officer level). A Department head, however, may delegate the role of Policy Owner to another individual within their Department, at the level of a Vice President or Associate Vice President who heads a business unit relevant to the applicable policy.
   5. University Policy Administration Manager or University Policy Administrator or UPA: The designated individual within the Office of Legal Affairs who manages the University’s overall policy framework as described herein.
4. Policy Statements
   1. Management of University-wide Policy Framework
      1. The Office of Legal Affairs shall oversee the establishment and management of the University’s policy framework.
      2. A UPA shall be responsible for
         1. Coordinating the efforts related to policy and procedure creation, review, revision, and approval between Departments, facilitating legal review, and interfacing with any enterprise-wide policy advisory group;
         2. Maintaining a database of current and prior policies and procedures; and
         3. Filing of UMGC Institutional Policy Manuals with the USM (University System of Maryland) Chancellor in accordance with USM Policy VI-10.00 Policy on the Filing of Institutional Policy Manuals with the Chancellor.

   2. Policy Development and Administration

      Procedures related to the following policy actions can be found on the University’s intranet site under “Procedures”:

      1. Development and Administration of New Policies. Individuals involved in the Development and Administration of new University policies shall follow the procedures outlined in UMGC VI-10.01-P Procedures for the Development and Administration of New University Policies.
      2. Reviewing and Revising Existing Policies. Policy Owners shall ensure that the policies for which they are responsible are reviewed on a regular basis in accordance with the procedures outlined in UMGC VI-10.02-P Procedures for Reviewing and Revising Existing University Policies.
      3. Discontinuing Policies. Individuals who wish to discontinue an existing University policy should follow the procedures outlined in UMGC VI-10.03-P Procedures for Discontinuing an Existing University Policy.

   3. Exceptions or Suspensions to University Policies

      Unless indicated otherwise within a particular policy, University employees who wish to implement an exception or waiver of a University Policy shall follow the procedures outlined in UMGC VI-10.04-P Procedures for Requesting a Policy Exception or Suspension, which can be found on the University intranet site.

   4. Development and Administration of Procedures

      Individuals responsible for developing procedures related to policies within the scope of this Policy shall follow the procedures outlined in UMGC VI-10.05-P Procedures for Developing University Procedures, which can be found on the University’s intranet site.

5. Related Policies and Procedures
   1. USM VI-10.00 Policy on the Filing of Institutional Policy Manuals with the Chancellor

*formerly Policy 000.01