Skip Navigation

Policy Compliance and Publication: 1:03:10:01

Skip Navigation

 

  • Responsible Officers: Compliance and Policy Specialist
  • Responsible Executive: Executive Director of Organizational Culture and Enrichment; Executive Director, Human Resources

 I. PURPOSE

This policy addresses the process for developing, proposing, revising, approving, dissolving, and publicizing Motlow State Community College (Motlow State) policies. It applies to all faculty, staff, administrators, and students. This policy ensures that Motlow State has in place all of the necessary policies required by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and for institutional needs. This policy also details guidelines to ensure the TBR, SACSCOC, and Motlow State policies are reviewed regularly.

II. DEFINITIONS

  1.  Responsible Officer – the individual (or individuals) identified in each policy responsible for ensuring policy compliance and revision, creation, or deletion of those policies.
  2. Responsible Executive – The Executive (or Executives) responsible for the Responsible Officer, and thereby also policy compliance, revision, creation, or deletion of policies. The Responsible Executive shall be made aware of any revisions or creation of policies, and given the opportunity to help edit any policies, and may also request the Responsible Officer act as their designee.
  3. Policy Analyst (PA) – the Motlow State employee responsible for facilitation of policy creation, revision, and/or deletion in consultation with any Responsible Officer or Responsible Executive. The PA is also responsible for updating and maintaining the website dedicated to Motlow State policy publication, in consultation with External Affairs, and for ensuring policies are reviewed every three years, per Section III.A below. The Compliance and Policy Specialist serves as the PA.

III. PROPOSING AND APPROVING POLICIES

  1.  Every policy will be reviewed at least once every three years. Some responsible parties may request more frequent review cycles and can coordinate with the institution’s PA.
  2. The SACSCOC Liaison is responsible for ensuring that all policies comply with SACSCOC requirements.
  3. All discussions of newly developed and revised policies shall be submitted to the PA through policy@mscc.edu.
    1. Requests to review, develop, or retire a policy should include the following:
      1. Name, number, and link to policy (if one exists);
      2. A brief summary of justifications for changes; and
      3. Informational materials needed to create policy (e.g., if policy is being created due to changes in TBR, state, or federal guidelines).
  4. When developing a new policy or revising the majority of a policy, the PA will work with the Responsible Officer over the policy (or their designee) to develop a draft of the policy.
  5. The PA will submit a redline version of the policy, along with a clean (edited) version, to Motlow State leadership (the President, Executive Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, SACSCOC Liaison, Deans, Curriculum Chairs, Council Chairs, Department Managers, etc.) for leadership to submit to their divisions, departments, councils, etc., for suggestion of changes/edits. Ten (10) business days will be given for review and suggestion of any changes/edits, to be submitted to the PA.
    1. Compliance personnel and the Executive Director of Human Resources (“EDHR”) may recommend a TBR General Council review of the policy draft at any point in the policy revision process.
  6. The PA will then advance the draft digitally to the President’s Cabinet for a ten (10) business day review unless an alternative timeline is defined by the Responsible Officer (or Responsible Executive) or the President. All policies must adhere to the established policy layout.
    1. Executives in the President’s Cabinet may request the policy be opened to other bodies or individuals to add feedback for revisions. The PA (or designee) will help facilitate this access.
  7. Concurrently with the President’s Cabinet review, the draft will be digitally submitted to the members of the Institutional Oversight Committee (“IOC”) for review and comment during the same ten (10) business day period. IOC members will be given a means to submit recommendation or no recommendation on passage of the draft version of the policy.
  8. After review by the President’s Cabinet and IOC, all suggestions and edits will be taken under consideration by the PA and the policy’s Responsible Officer (or designee). If necessary, the draft policy will be updated. Then the policy will be submitted to the President’s Cabinet again for vote of passage of the policy at the next meeting (an electronic vote can be utilized if a vote is needed before the Cabinet meets).
    1. All academic policies will be submitted electronically to Faculty Council members for review once the President’s Cabinet and IOC review periods have ended. Faculty Council will have ten (10) business days for review, after which an electronic vote will be held for approval of academic policies. Once this period has ended, President’s Cabinet will vote on the approved academic policy.

IV. SPECIAL POLICY CATEGORIES AND CIRCUMSTANCES

When the need arises due to mandated changes (such as those resulting from federal legislation, legal or TBR changes, or accreditation requirements), Compliance personnel, the EDHR, SACSCOC Liaison or President may consult with the PA to draft changes.

  1. Temporary Policies
    1. The President’s Cabinet may approve temporary policies to meet unpredictable needs of the college;
    2. Any temporary policy that is to continue longer than six (6) months will be reviewed and voted upon by President’s Cabinet;
    3. Cabinet may vote to extend this 6-month period for the temporary policy;
    4. Votes may be electronic or in live meetings and will be recorded and preserved in meeting minutes.
    5. The IOC will be informed of any new temporary policies, or extensions of temporary policies.
  2. Editorial Changes
    1. Editorial changes include title changes, unit name changes, and other language alignment that might result from restructuring or a changing workforce and culture;
    2. Editorial changes can be facilitated between the Responsible Officer (or their designee) and/or the Responsible Executive, and the PA;
    3. Policies with editorial changes shall be affirmed by the President’s Cabinet before publishing and announced to the IOC.
  3. Retiring or Dissolving a Policy
    1. If a policy needs to be retired, the revoking of the policy shall be affirmed by the President’s Cabinet before unpublishing and being announced to the IOC.
  4. Some policies require additional approvals beyond the institution. Policies requiring review by TBR or another body will not be published until these requirements are met.

V. POLICY PUBLICATION

Following approval of a new or revised policy, or deletion of a policy, the PA will ensure coordination to update the Motlow State Policies webpage. In the absence of a PA, Policy personnel will be designated to facilitate changes.

SOURCES

HISTORY

  • Revised: February 10, 2021; editorial changes to align with new titles – August 5, 2021; August 29, 2022
  • President’s Cabinet Approval: September 7, 2021 (editorial changes); September 27, 2022; editorial revisions affirmed June 6, 2023
  • IOC Approval: April 30, 2021; October 14, 2022 (IOC replaced Leadership Council in 2020; previous version approved by Leadership Council on February 3, 2017.)
  • Policy Effective Date: September 7, 2021; October 14, 2022; June 6, 2023

 

Scroll to top