Memorandum #319 Community College of Philadelphia Policy on College Policies

Approved:  March 3, 2022
Approved by:  Board of Trustees
Policy Owner(s):  General Counsel

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this Policy is to set forth the appropriate process for development, review, approval and publication of College policies. By establishing a uniform process applicable to all College policies, this Policy is intended to protect the integrity of the way in which College business is conducted and identify the appropriate administrators responsible for oversight of each College policy.

All College policies must conform with this Policy. A College policy is defined as an official written College directive that supports the College’s mission; applies broadly throughout the College; and sets forth clear expectations and guidelines for how College business is conducted. 

This Policy does not apply to:

• College Procedures—procedures which a division or department may follow in order to implement a College policy are not policies. Procedures that only apply to an individual department or division rather than to the entire College are also not policies; and
• the Collective Bargaining Agreements between the College and the Faculty and Staff Federation.

Authority to Approve a College Policy

All College policies must be approved by the Board of Trustees (“Board”) or, as delegated by the Board, by the President of the College. All policies that address the authority of the College’s Board of Trustees, rules or regulations applicable to the Board of Trustees, and/or significant financial policies must be approved by the Board of Trustees. The President shall have the authority to enact changes to Board—approved policies or create any new policy that requires Board approval on an interim basis if there is a legally required change or other urgent circumstance. The Board shall be notified of the interim policy at the next appropriate Board meeting. The Executive Committee should meet for timely review of the interim policy. Board action on approval of the policy must occur no later than one year from the date that the interim policy was enacted. The Board delegates to the President the authority to approve and implement all other policies and policy changes that do not require Board approval.

Process for Policy Creation, Review, Revision or Discontinuance

Recommendations for changes to policies or new policies may be initiated through the College Standing Committees, the Board’s Standing Committees, or any member of the President’s Cabinet.

• Policy recommendations from the College Standing Committees shall follow the process outlined in the Full-Time Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement and shall be forwarded from the applicable standing committee to the Institution Wide Committee (“IWC”) to the President for approval. If the President does not follow the recommendations of the IWC, such recommendation may be presented in writing to the Board and argued before the appropriate Committee of the Board by the IWC’s representative(s). The decision of the Board shall be final. 
• Policy recommendations from the Board Standing Committees shall be submitted for approval to the Board.
• Policy recommendations from any Cabinet member(s) shall be submitted to the President for approval unless they require Board approval in which case they shall be presented to the appropriate Committee of the Board and then the Board for approval.
• The discontinuance of any policy must be approved by the Board. 

Identification of Policy Owner

Before being approved, the applicable Vice President or Cabinet member will assign a senior administrator who will serve as the Policy Owner for the policy.  The Policy Owner shall be responsible for ensuring the policy complies with this Policy #319.       

Review Period

All policies shall be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they remain relevant, legally compliant, and follow best practices. The Policy Owner shall be responsible for ensuring the policy remains compliant with current regulations, best practices, and otherwise relevant, and for ensuring the policy is reviewed in accordance with this Policy. All policies shall be reviewed and either: (1) reissued; (2) revised; or (3) discontinued no later than once every seven (7) years. If revisions are made to a policy, the date of any approved revisions must be reflected in the policy on the College’s Policy website. The Office of the President/General Counsel shall work with the Policy Owner to determine the appropriate channel for review of the policy. The Policy Owner should consult with any other relevant departments or divisions in reviewing or revising the policy. All policies that involve compliance with laws or regulations or that otherwise may have significant legal implications shall be reviewed by the Office of General Counsel. Once per year, College administration shall report to the Board on all policy updates that occurred during the prior year. The College’s Internal Auditor shall be responsible for ensuring Policy Owners comply and meet the deadlines established for the review process.

Policy Format

Upon adoption or review of any policies on or after the effective date of this Policy, the Policy Owner should ensure that the policy as published on the Policy website includes, at minimum, the effective date, revised date(s), Policy Owner, and whether the policy was approved by the Board or the President.   

Location of Policies

Upon approval, College policies shall be published on the College's Policy website. To the extent policies must appear in other official College documents, whenever possible, they should be included in the document as a link to that particular policy from the College’s Policy website to ensure the most up-to-date version of the policy appears in those official documents. Additional policies not listed on the Policy website may be included in the Employee Handbook and/or the Student Handbook.   

Timeline for Application of this Policy

All new policies created or updated after March 3, 2022 must comply with this Policy. All existing College policies shall be updated to comply with this Policy on or before March 3, 2027.  

Authority to Update This Policy

This policy may only be revised by the College’s Board of Trustees.