VI - 1.02 Policy on Approval of Policies and Procedures

I. Purpose

To establish a formal system for review and approval of University policies and procedures.

II. Definitions

  1. Policies are guiding principles and general statements that provide direction and a framework for actions and decision-making at the University.
  2. Procedures are the prescribed methods by which a series of related activities are performed. Procedures describe in detail how to implement policies or achieve objectives or tasks.

III. Responsibility

Policies and procedures are necessary to safeguard University resources and ensure that the University operates in a manner that is consistent with state and federal law and University System of Maryland policies. The Office of the President is responsible for maintaining institutional policies. It is the responsibility of the management of each administrative and academic unit to ensure that all internal operating procedures are maintained in writing.

IV. Guidelines and Standards

  1. Review and Approval of Policies
    1. New policies or substantive revisions to existing policies may be recommended by any unit or committee.The appropriate Vice President or Division Director must review all proposed policies or policy revisions to ensure accuracy and consistency with University mission and goals. The Vice President or Division Director shall confer with other divisions or units to ensure that proposed policies or revisions do not conflict with other University policies or adversely affect operations in other divisions or units.
    2. The General Counsel must review all proposed policies for legal sufficiency.
    3. Proposed policies and revisions to policies shall be submitted to the University Council for review and consideration. The University Council shall make recommendations to the President concerning new policies or revisions to policies.
    4. Authority for final approval of policies rests with the President of the University who shall indicate approval in writing.
    5. The General Counsel shall be responsible for posting approved policies on the BSU website and maintaining records of all policies or revisions of policies submitted for review. The General Counsel shall maintain a hard copy of all approved policies along with supporting documentation.
    6. Editorial changes or updates, such as changes in position title, department name, or similar corrections may be approved by the appropriate Vice President or Division Director and should be submitted to the General Counsel to update the Bowie State University Policy Manual.
    7. Vice Presidents or Division Directors are responsible for periodically reviewing and updating policies governing their divisions.
  2. Review and Approval of Internal Operating Procedures
    1. Internal operating procedures must approved by the appropriate Vice President or Division Director and shall be reviewed prior to implementation to ensure that the procedures provide adequate internal controls.
    2. Proposed new internal operating procedures should be shared with the heads of shared governance bodies with a reasonable time period for comment prior to implementation.
    3. Internal procedures shall maintained in writing and made available to all employees within the unit and departments.
    4. Vice Presidents or Division Directors shall ensure that notice of significant changes in operating procedures is communicated to affected members of the campus community, and where appropriate, shared governance bodies will be afforded an opportunity to comment on such proposed changes prior to implementation.
Effective Date: 08/30/1993 Revision Date: 05/10/2016