University Policies FAQ

• What does the University Policies website consist of?

  The University Policies website is a single reliable site for all university-wide policies and other university policy documents (i.e., Handbooks, Bylaws, Board of Trustees Policies). The Policy Library facilitates the use of up-to-date policy information by the university community.

• What is the scope of the University Policies website?

  The University Policies website contains all university-wide policies including policies related to academics, student rights and responsibilities, faculty rights and responsibilities, employment, research, administration, finance, technology, and physical facilities that have been approved by the university through designated university officials.

• Do I need to follow the Policy Development, Management and Review Policy?

  Yes, if you are working on university-wide policy (a policy that contains official University mandates and has wide applicability across the University) then you need to comply with the policy.

  If you are working on a document that does not contain official University mandates, this may be more appropriately labeled a “guideline” or process document, and the Policy Development, Management and Review policy does not currently apply.

  If you are working on a document that addresses the specific need for operations, administration, or programs of Colleges, Units, or departments of the university, then it is a unit-level (not University) policy, and the Policy Development, Management and Review policy does not currently apply.

  The Policy Development, Management and Review policy currently applies to university-wide policies only.

• What is considered a Policy and what is the difference between a Policy, Procedure, and a Guideline?

  Refer to the Policy Development Table document in the Policy Development Toolkit.  University Policies.

• Has there been any discussion about adding unit-level policies, Handbooks, and Bylaws to the policy library?

  Yes, the MSU Policy Library Advisory Committee will work with OARC to expand the policies and University Policies website. In the initial phase, the Policy Development, Management and Review policy, including submission to OARC for posting in the public University Policies website, only applies to university-wide policies. However, units are encouraged to begin using a similar template and follow similar process for developing, reviewing, revising, and approving unit- level policies within the issuing unit. Units must take particular care to ensure that unit-level policies do not conflict with university-wide or Board of Trustees policies. They should be communicated within the unit so that they can be applied consistently, but should not be included currently on public-facing websites.

• What about the Board of Trustees Policies?

  The Policy Development, Management and Review policy currently applies to university-wide policies established pursuant to authority delegated to the President of the University by the Board of Trustees to develop a strong and efficient organization with which to accomplish the objectives of the University. The MSU Board of Trustees, elected by the voters of the State and responsible to all the people of Michigan, exercises final authority in the governance of the University. It has established policies to further the principles stated in the preamble of the Board of Trustees bylaws and to fulfill the mission of the university. The process for approval of those policies necessarily differs from that of other University policies. However, following implementation of the Policy Development, Management and Review policy, OARC and MSU Policy Library Advisory Committee plan to present recommendations on development, management, and review of Board of Trustees policies.

• Who determines the Approval Authority?

  The Responsible Office/Officer will work in collaboration with the OARC Policy Coordinator to determine the Approval Authority during Step 2 of the policy development.

• Who is responsible for the management of the University Policies website?

  The Office of Audit, Risk and Compliance (OARC) is responsible for the maintenance of the Policy Library. The OARC can be contacted via e-mail at msupolicylibrary@msu.edu. The content of the policy is the responsibility of the officers named at the beginning of each policy.

• Who has access to the University Policies website?

  The library is accessible to anyone who has access to the University Policies website and is not restricted to employees or students at the University.

• How do I find a policy?

  Specific policies may be found several ways. Options include:

  • Entering a keyword in the search box
  • Browse by category (i.e., Finance, Human Resources)

  If you still need assistance, you can call the OARC at (517) 355-2432 or email msupolicylibrary@msu.edu.

• What does a stakeholder review period mean?

  The Responsible Officer will provide the proposed policy to appropriate policy stakeholders for an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed policy. Policy stakeholders that should be considered based on the applicability of the policy may include but are not limited to:

  • Responsible Office
  • Office of Academic Governance
  • Student governing bodies
  • Office of the General Counsel (OGC)
  • Office for Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs (FASA)
  • Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (IDI)
  • Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance (OCR)
  • Union groups
  • Human Resources

  Decision makers and/or constituencies involved in the university policy topic. After considering input from stakeholders, the Responsible Office will make changes to the policy as appropriate before submitting the policy to the Approving Authority.

• When do all current University-wide policies need to be converted into the MSU Policy Template and reviewed for revisions?

  All current university-wide policies must be reviewed, revised, and put into the policy template by December 1, 2025. The OARC and/or MSU Policy Library Advisory Committee reserves the right to extend the time to complete the process if needed.

• How often do current policies need to be reviewed?

  The Responsible Office may review a policy at any point in time but must review each policy and seek to implement necessary or recommended updates every three to five years, as determined by the OARC in consultation with the Responsible Office.

• Will the office of OARC notify my office if I have policies that need to be converted?

  The OARC with the assistance of the MSU Policy Library Advisory Committee will be creating a master list of all university-wide policies. Each Responsible Office will be notified of the task to convert their policy into the MSU policy template.

• Who is responsible for executing the Policy Communications Plan?

  The Responsible Office is responsible for carrying out the Policy Communications Plan. OARC or other applicable units/departments may assist the Responsible Office in completing the plan.

  Additionally, the OARC will send out a monthly or quarterly Communications Memo with policy information for dissemination to the MSU Executive Team (Dean, Directors, Chairs).

• How long will it take for the OARC to review our policy once it’s submitted to the OARC?

  The OARC aims to review the policy within 14 business days after submission to the OARC.

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