Policy on Policies

Policy Number: .11
Effective Date: October 11, 2023
Revision History: November 23, 2022; August 2, 2019; August 1, 2018; May 25, 2017
Policy Contact(s): Office of Legal Affairs

I. Purpose and Policy Statement

This policy defines the process by which Georgia Gwinnett College (“GGC”) formally develops, revises, reviews, approves, and maintains college-wide policies. Individuals must follow the requirements outlined herein for a policy or revision to become effective. GGC complies with the policies of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. The authoritative source of information concerning Board approved policies and procedures governing academic and administrative matters is the Board of Regents’ Policy Manual. In cases of inconsistency, Board of Regents policy takes precedence.

II. Scope

This policy applies to all GGC faculty and staff members.

III. Definitions

Administrative Policy Manual (“APM”): GGC’s primary official publication for distribution of approved College policies.  

College Policy: An official College directive or principle that:

1. Has broad application throughout GGC and is intended to govern the actions of a majority of staff, faculty, students, contractors, and/or visitors;
2. Enhances GGC’s mission, reduces institutional risk, supports compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and/or promotes operational efficiency;
3. Is sponsored by at least one member of the President’s Cabinet or by the President;
4. Has been reviewed by the President’s Cabinet and, as applicable, the Faculty Senate; and,
5. Is approved by the President.

Existing Policy: A College policy that predates the Effective Date of this policy. Existing Policies remain official College Policy unless decommissioned as provided herein. Revisions to Existing Policies, if any, are expected to follow the requirements outlined in this policy.

Interim Policy: A provisional policy issued when a policy is needed within a time period too short to complete the process described herein.

Policy Contact or Proponent: GGC individual or unit who is responsible for the accuracy, communication, and implementation of a College Policy and associated procedures and training. This individual may act as a subject matter expert.

Procedure: Defined steps or methods to carry out a particular policy.

Unit-level Guidelines: Guidelines of departments or operating units that are applicable only to a specific unit and do not meet all characteristics of a College Policy. No department or operating unit may adopt a guideline, procedure, or practice that is inconsistent with a College Policy or any policy of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. In the event of a conflict between a College Policy and a Unit-level Guideline, the College Policy takes precedence.

IV. Procedure

1. Proposing or Revising a College Policy
   1. Any GGC employee or GGC unit may propose creation of or substantive revision to a College Policy. Any recommendations for revisions to a College Policy should be submitted for review to the Policy Contact or Proponent. GGC administrators are responsible for identifying the need for new or revised policies appropriate to the function of their unit(s). The Office of Legal Affairs may also identify the need for a new policy or revision and recommend that a unit prepare a draft of such policy. The proposed policy or revision must conform to the Policy Template provided by the Office of Legal Affairs.
   2. Draft policies must be submitted to the Cabinet member for the functional area applicable to the proposed or revised policy. If the drafting individual or unit does not report, directly or indirectly, to a Cabinet member, drafts may be submitted to the President or the President’s designee. The President, the President’s designee, or appropriate Cabinet member will determine whether to carry forward a proposed or revised policy for further consideration.
2. Reviewing and Approving a College Policy
   1. If the Cabinet member or President decides to carry the draft policy or revisions forward, then the Cabinet member or President, or their designee, will forward the draft to the Office of Legal Affairs, who will review the proposed draft for clarity, practicality, consistency, and compliance. The Office of Legal Affairs may share the draft with key constituents concurrent with or subsequent to such review. Suggested changes will be remanded to the drafting individual or unit for approval before the policy is carried forward to the President’s Cabinet.
   2. Once the draft is in final form, the President or appropriate Cabinet member, with assistance from the Office of Legal Affairs or others as deemed appropriate, will submit the draft policy for consideration by the President’s Cabinet. The Cabinet will make a recommendation to the President for approval or rejection of the policy.
   3. Following the recommendation of the Cabinet, the President will make the final decision approving or rejecting the policy. No policy or substantive policy revisions will become effective until approved by the President. If the President rejects a policy, the Office of Legal Affairs will return the policy to the drafting individual or unit.
   4. Once the policy has been approved by the President, the Office of Legal Affairs will publish the new or revised policy in the APM, noting the date of the President’s approval in the “Effective Date” section of the policy.
   5. The Policy Contact and the appropriate Cabinet member for the area from which a policy has emerged are responsible for ensuring a policy continues to comply with any changes to applicable laws, regulations, or Board of Regents policy.
3. Minor Changes to a College Policy
   1. As needed, the unit responsible for a policy may request minor, non-substantive changes to a policy. Minor changes do not affect the substance of the policy and should be limited to corrections for typos, name or position changes, references to outdated or obsolete offices or web links, and the like.
   2. Minor changes must be directed to the Office of Legal Affairs for review.
   3. If the Office of Legal Affairs agrees that the proposed change is a minor change, then the minor change will not require review and approval by the President and Cabinet and will be effective upon publication in the APM. The Office of Legal Affairs will make the minor change in the APM and the review date will be noted in the policy. 
4. Establishing an Interim Policy
   1. In the event that a new policy or substantive revision is needed within a time period that will not allow for the full drafting and review process outlined herein, a drafting individual or unit may make a request for an Interim Policy to the President or appropriate Cabinet member. The proposed policy or revision should enter the full drafting and review process simultaneously with the process for establishing an Interim Policy.
   2. If a Cabinet member determines that an Interim Policy is needed, they must secure the written approval of the President to implement the policy. Written consent may be given electronically.
   3. Once the Interim Policy has been approved by the President, the Office of Legal Affairs will note the date of the President’s approval in the “Effective Date” section of the policy and upload the policy to the APM immediately with a notation in the title that the policy is “Interim”.
   4. Interim Policies are in effect for an initial period of six (6) months. The Interim Policy may remain effective for one additional six (6) month period with the approval of the President.
   5. Interim Policies will automatically expire upon the approval of a College Policy covering the same subject matter by the process described herein.
5. Decommissioning a College Policy
   1. The President or appropriate Cabinet member may request a policy be decommissioned. Such requests should be submitted to the Office of Legal Affairs with an explanation for the request.
   2. The Office of Legal Affairs will review the request and seek consultation with stakeholders, as necessary. Consultation results may be shared with the President’s Cabinet.
   3. As needed, the Office of Legal Affairs will present to the President’s Cabinet any College Policies it recommends for decommissioning. The Cabinet will make a recommendation to the President for approval or rejection.
   4. Following the recommendation of the President’s Cabinet, the President will make a final decision approving or rejecting the decommissioning. No request to decommission a College Policy will become effective until approved by the President.
   5. The Office of Legal Affairs will remove any decommissioned policies from the APM. The Policy Contact/Proponent is responsible for ensuring that any additional information regarding a decommissioned policy is communicated to the campus community.
6. Communicating, Training, and Compliance
   1. Any new College Policies that become effective during an academic year will be listed in the “New Policies” section of the APM. Any revisions to College Policies that become effective during an academic year will be listed in the “Updated Policies” section of the APM. The Office of Legal Affairs will issue an electronic announcement to the GGC campus community for any new, revised, interim, or decommissioned policies on a quarterly basis.
   2. The Policy Contact and the appropriate Cabinet member for the area from which a policy has emerged are responsible for providing additional communication and training on a policy, as necessary.
   3. Faculty, administrators, staff, and students are responsible for knowing, understanding, and complying with policies that relate to their position, employment, or enrollment at GGC.
7. Retention
   1. Superseded versions of the APM will be maintained by the Office of Legal Affairs in accordance with the University System of Georgia Records Retention Schedules.

V. Unit-level Guidelines

1. Academic and administrative units (including schools, departments, and committees) may develop Unit-level Guidelines, whether or not a corresponding College Policy exists. A Unit-level Guideline may be more restrictive than a College Policy, but not less restrictive. Unit-level Guidelines are binding and compliance with them is mandatory, as long as they meet the following requirements:
   1. Developed in a clear process;
   2. Communicated in written format to those affected by them;
   3. Approved by the appropriate Cabinet member, or their designee;
   4. Compliant with all applicable College Policies and Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia policies, including federal and state mandates; and,
   5. Consistently implemented and enforced.
2. Perceived conflicts between a Unit-level Guideline and a College Policy should be brought to the attention of the Unit-level Guideline owner and the Office of Legal Affairs for resolution. In the event of a conflict between a College Policy and a Unit-level Guideline, the College Policy will take precedence.

VI. Official Policy Publications and Proponents

1. Official Policy Publications
   1. The two official policy publications and their respective administrative proponents are the:
      1. Administrative Policy Manual (“APM”): Office of Legal Affairs
      2. Georgia Gwinnett College Catalog (“Catalog”): Vice President for Enrollment Management Services 
   2. The administrative proponents for the official policy publications are responsible for incorporating new or revised policies into their respective publications and for ensuring consistency across publications and the website.
   3. Accessibility: The two official policy publications are available on the GGC public website (ggc.edu).
2. Authority over and responsibility for the Faculty Manual has been delegated by the GGC President and Cabinet to the shared governance structure of the Chief Academic Affairs Officer/Provost (“Provost”) and the Faculty Senate.  Regulatory and procedural language that is narrowly applicable to individuals holding faculty appointments along with references to faculty-focused College Policies may be published in the Faculty Manual.
3. Authority over and responsibility for the Student Handbook has been delegated by the GGC President and Cabinet to the Provost and Senior Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. Regulatory and procedural language that is narrowly applicable to students along with references to student-focused College Policies may be published in the Student Handbook.
4. Whenever an APM policy is published in any GGC manual or handbook, Catalog, or GGC website, the following elements of the policy must be published in their entirety:
   1. Policy title and APM policy number
   2. Link to the complete policy in the APM

VII. Disclaimers

1. All GGC policies must be consistent with Board of Regents policies. All policy manuals will carry a disclaimer that reiterates the primacy of Board of Regents policies as follows: “The authoritative source of information concerning Board-approved policies and procedures governing academic and administrative matters is the Policy Manual of the Board of Regents. In cases of inconsistency, Board of Regents policy takes precedence.”
2. The APM is GGC’s primary policy publication. The Catalog must carry the following disclaimer: “The Administrative Policy Manual is Georgia Gwinnett College’s primary policy manual. In the event of conflict between the Catalog and the Administrative Policy Manual, the Administrative Policy Manual prevails.”