Policies & Procedures

GA2008 Policy on Policy & Procedures

Policy:	Policy and Procedures	Policy No.:	GA2008
Authority:	SUNY Broome Community College Board of Trustees	Delegated Authority:	President
Policy Owner:	Vice President	Responsible Party:	Administration
Approved:	October 31, 2019	Revised:	April 18, 2024

Purpose

The purpose of the policy is to create a framework for the authority, creation, approval and administration of SUNY Broome Community College Policies and Procedures. The policy defines the differences between a policy and a procedure, and emphasizes the importance of maintaining up-to-date policies and procedures. The policy also provides a timeline for review and revision of existing Policies and Procedures.

Statement of Policy

The standardized approach to policy and procedure development and management provides clarity, consistency, and accountability. All employees and stakeholders who write policies are responsible for the development, review, approval, and compliance based upon the tenets established within the policy and procedures.

Scope

This policy applies to College-wide policies and procedures.

Authority

The authority of the Board of Trustees promulgates policies of the College. The Board of Trustees may exercise its policy-making and policy review authority directly or by delegation to the President, who also in turn may delegate authority to others. The Board shall delegate to the President the function of taking required actions and designing the detailed arrangements under which the College will be operated. Administration of policies is the responsibility of the President or his/her designee and must be consistent with the policies adopted by the Board. The College shall inform its employees of any new policies and procedures and of changes or deletions to existing policies and procedures through the publication of policies and procedures via campus communications. Divisions and Departments are responsible for ensuring their policy and procedure manuals reflect the most current version of the college-wide policy and procedures. The Board shall make available for public inspection and copying, all policies formulated, adopted and used by the Board in the discharge of its functions. All Board minutes containing the actions of the Board must also be made public as per the Public Officers Law, Article 7, Section 106.

Delegation of Authority

College-level policies and procedures have broad application throughout the institution and make a significant impact on daily operations, responsibilities, protocol, or life among multiple key groups on campus (students/faculty/staff). Policies and procedures have significant financial impact on the institution. The subject matters of College-level policies and procedures may require review by cross-functional departments and/or stakeholders, review and approval by the Executive Council, and the Board of Trustees. Authority, review and approval of substantive changes in Policy rests with the Board of Trustees. Policy and Procedure authority is delegated to the President, with ownership of the policy or procedure belonging to a specific Vice-President. Responsible parties are defined as specific departments.

Policy and Procedure Classification

Policies will be classified in one of the following categories and numbered sequentially within each category. Changes to categories must be reviewed and approved by the Executive Council in order to ensure relevancy. Section Title, Compound Lettering, Example Policy Numbering, Example Procedure Numbering:

Section Title	Compound Lettering	Example Policy Numbering	Example Procedure Numbering
Governance	GO	GO1001	GO1001.1
General Administration	GA	GA2001	GA2000.1
Personnel Affairs	PA	PA3001	PA3001.1
Academic Affairs	AA	AA4001	AA4001.1
Student Affairs	SA	SA5001	SA5001.1
Finance	FI	FI6001	FI6001.1
Facilities and Grounds	FG	FG7001	FG7001.1
Safety and Security	SS	SS8001	SS8001.1
Information Technology	IT	IT9001	IT9001.1

For example, PA1001 Background Check is Personnel Affairs Policy#1 Procedure PA1001.1 Background Check is Personnel Affairs Policy #1 Procedure #1 PA1002 Amorous Relationships is Personnel Affairs Policy #2 Procedure PA1002.1 Amorous Relationships is Personnel Affairs Policy #2 Procedure #1 Additional procedures related to the policy would be numbered as follows: Procedure PA1001.2 is procedure #2 related to Background Check Policy #1 of Personnel Affairs Procedure PA1001.3 is procedure #3 related to Background Check Policy #1 of Personnel Affairs

Format

Each policy and procedure will be presented in a standard format with the appropriate cover sheet. (See Appendix for templates for each.) Policies and Procedures must include the following formatted elements:

Margins – 1-inch header, footer, left and right
An information block with specific content (see appendix)
Font: Arial, Point Size: 12

Policy on Policy/Procedure Development and Review

Employees of the College who are responsible for the development and/or revisions of policies and procedures are required to follow the standardized guidelines. College Policies and Procedures must:

Champion the mission, vision, and strategic goals of the college;
Consider the effect on students;
Consider the effect on administrators, faculty, and staff;
Comply with all legal responsibilities (federal, state, local);
Take into consideration strategic implications as well as risk;
Be parallel to other College policies/procedures; and,
Have a cost-effective approach to implement and sustain.

Adoption and Approval of College-Level Policies

Policies at SUNY Broome Community College are adopted and approved by the Board of Trustees and serve as statements of principle to inform decision-making and the conduct of College activities.

Adoption and Approval of College-Level Procedures

Procedures set forth action steps required to carry out a policy and/or a standard method for implementing those actions. They are adopted and approved by the President.

The Process for Recommending, Revising, Reviewing, or Decommissioning Policies and Procedures

The need for policies or procedures may be identified by one or multiple areas of the College. Review and feedback of policies/procedures should move through the appropriate department(s), and/or faculty and staff organizations, and/or governance committees. Legal review may be necessary.

A Policy/Procedure Change or New Submission Proposal & Review Cover Sheet (See Appendix). Or, in the case of a scheduled review;
A Comprehensive Policy/Procedure Review Cover Sheet should be submitted (See Appendix).
A standard template (See Appendices) for all finalized policies and/or procedures must be utilized.
Ownership to an individual or group of individuals should be assigned. A primary Vice President owner is identified for each policy.

Action

Action (Created, Reviewed, Retired)	Date	Initials	Position Title
Created	10/31/2019	CRS	VP Stu Affairs
Revised	04/2/2024	DL	Assistant to the President

Definitions

Authority: The Authority for policies is the College’s Board of Trustees. The Delegated Authority for procedures is the President.

Policy Owner: The Policy or Procedure Owner is the Vice President responsible for the area to which the policy or procedure pertains.

Responsible Party: The Administrative department(s) area(s) responsible for the development, oversight, implementation, compliance, and review of policy and procedures in their work area.

Comprehensive Review: Every three (3) years or as required by law, each policy/procedure must be thoroughly assessed for relevance. The comprehensive review confirms if the policy/procedure is still needed or needs further revisions or decommissioning.

Key Stakeholders: The key stakeholders are those directly affected by a policy, including those responsible for implementation and compliance monitoring, and may be consulted during the development or revision of the policy and its associated procedures. Key stakeholders may include shared governance organizations, students, external community, faculty, staff, and administrators.

Policy: A policy is defined as a concise, official, and required statement that influences and determines all major decisions and actions, and all activities taking place within the boundaries set by the policy. The policy should serve as a basis for decision-making and a means by which the college reduces institutional risk. Policies support the College’s mission and goals; thus, a policy should change infrequently. A policy is subject to final approval by the Board of Trustees.

Policy Owner: The policy owner is an administrative position – Vice President.

Procedures: Required steps are needed to enforce and comply with a policy and meet its overall purpose. They specify who does what and when. They may be reviewed and revised more frequently than policies. Procedures are a framework for tasks and activities. Procedures do not supersede college policies.

Procedure Owner: The procedure owner is an administrative position – Vice President.