Policy Development, Review, and Management

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Applies To: Faculty, Staff, Students

Responsible Office: President and Dean

Related Documents: Policy Template

Policy Statement

This Policy prescribes the process for the development and approval of certain categories of official policies (“Policy on Policies”). Mitchell Hamline School of Law policies align with and promote the school’s mission and values. Policies serve to enhance consistency, accountability, financial and ethical integrity, and operational effectiveness; to respond to legislative and regulatory requirements; and to mitigate institutional risk. Compliance with applicable policies is mandatory (non-discretionary).

An exception to a policy may be granted for good cause by the President and Dean or designee.

Scope of Policy

This Policy applies to Faculty, Staff, and Students and to policies that fall outside the exclusions described below.

This Policy on Policies excludes the following categories:

  • Board of Trustees policies
  • Faculty Governance (e.g., Tenure Code; Faculty Bylaws)
  • Academic Rules
  • Student Code of Conduct
  • Internal or intra-departmental procedures, processes, practices, and guidelines

Procedures

Proposals for new policies, revisions to current policies, or the retirement of obsolete policies should be developed according to this policy. Policies should:

  1. Address an existing problem, issue, legal requirement, or need that is most effectively addressed through a policy (in contrast to a procedure, process, practice, or guideline);
  2. Align with and promote Mitchell Hamline’s mission and values; and
  3. Be consistent with current policies.

New or revised policies must follow the format in the Policy Template. The purpose of requiring this template is to provide consistent, accessible information about each policy. Internal or intra-departmental procedures, processes, practices, and guidelines may be modified as needed and are not subject to this policy. If applicable, specific procedures, processes, practices, or guidelines related to the implementation or interpretation of a policy should be written in a separate document.

Regular Review of Current Policies

It is the intent that all current policies be reviewed annually or on another regular cycle by the Responsible Office to determine whether (a) each policy should be retained or retired; (b) updates or other changes are needed; or (c) there are gaps, omissions, or defects that demonstrate a need for a new or revised policy.

  1. If the policy requires review by legal counsel, the Responsible Office shall notify the General Counsel. If the policy implicates financial issues, the Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration must be notified by the Responsible Office.
  2. New policies, except where the policy is mandated by federal/state law or regulatory agency, will be made available to Faculty and Staff for a short Notice and Comment period that will be coordinated by the Responsible Office. The rationale for this is to provide advance notice of a new policy and to invite feedback prior to finalizing new policies.
  3. After the Notice and Comment period concludes (where applicable), the Responsible Office will review the feedback, make revisions as appropriate, and prepare a final version of the proposed new policy.
  4. The final version will be sent to the President and Dean or authorized member of the Senior Leadership Team. In limited circumstances, a policy may require approval from the Board of Trustees. Decisions as to whether to create, update, or retire a policy will be made by the member of the Senior Leadership Team with oversight of the Responsible Office.

Required Information for Standard Policy Template

The following information is required for all policies and is included on the required policy template. See below for more detailed information.

  • Policy Title
  • Applies To
  • Responsible Office
  • Related Documents
  • Policy Statement
  • Disclaimer

Policy Template

The Policy Template includes several sections that must be completed when writing or revising a policy governed by the School’s Policy on Policy Development, Review, and Management and as defined below. It does not apply to related procedures, processes, practices, guidelines, or other implementation documents as described below.

The Policy Template uses formatting consistent with WCAG guidelines for accessibility purposes and a standard alphanumeric outline convention and order for consistent organization (I., A., 1., a.) within policies.

Policy Repository

Policies will be published in the institution’s designated Policy Repositories: employee policies in Paycom, student policies in the Academic Catalog, and policies applicable to both employees and students in the Academic Catalog. Policies may also be linked from other institutional systems, including Jenzabar and Paycom, for ease of access; however, the designated repository remains the official source of record.

Definitions

For purposes of this Policy on Policies, the following definitions are used.

Policy: A statement that governs the conduct and actions of Staff, Faculty, Students, and/or Visitors. A policy must be approved by the President and Dean or other designated authority. Policies are to be distinguished from internal or intra-departmental procedures, processes, practices, guidelines, other similar statements, or other information related to the implementation of a policy.

Note that policies do not include an exhaustive list of all rules and expectations. Mitchell Hamline reserves the right to take action for any behavior or in connection with any circumstance that is deemed inappropriate, unprofessional, or detrimental to the School, regardless of whether a specific policy exists.

Procedures: A written set of rules, series of steps, processes, guidelines, practices, instructions or similar statements regarding a policy’s implementation. Procedures have a narrower focus than policies and may be modified and subject to continuous improvement as determined by the Responsible Office. Generally, and except as required by law, the text of procedures or other related information (e.g., forms, handbooks/manuals, guidelines, and other similar resources) should not be included in the policy.

Policy Title: The official name of policy. The title should capture the primary purpose of the policy in as few words as possible. To eliminate redundancy, do not include the word “Policy” in the title.

Applies To: Refers to the scope of the policy – the policy must specify the individuals or groups of individuals affected by this policy and who must abide by the policy. Generally, policies will apply to one or more of the following groups: Faculty, Staff, Students, and/or Visitors.

Responsible Office: The office or department charged with responsibility for implementation, enforcement, updating, or retiring (as needed) and oversight of the policy. The member of the Senior Leadership Team with oversight of the Responsible Office is charged with policy oversight and implementation as applicable.

Policies must provide the title of the Senior Leadership Team level office charged with responsibility for implementation, enforcement, and oversight of the policy as follows: President and Dean, Vice Dean of Academics, Vice Dean of Administration, Vice President of Enrollment, Senior Vice President of Finance & Administration / Chief Financial Officer, Dean of Students, or Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Organizational Effectiveness / Chief of Staff.

Related Documents: Other documents that are relevant to the interpretation and implementation of this policy. If practicable and appropriate, provide titles (and where possible, links) for related policies, procedures, processes, forms, handbooks/manuals, guidelines, FAQs, and other similar resources that support the implementation of this policy.

Policy Statement: A policy statement should be a clear (and where possible concise) statement of the School’s position on the subject matter. This statement should identify the problem or issue the policy addresses and, if applicable, include any legal or regulatory rationale for the policy, any policy definitions, and additional information as may be required or helpful to compliance with the policy.

The text should respond to such questions as: Who is the primary audience? What is the scope of the policy (i.e., are there situations or other exclusions where this policy does not apply?) What is expected of the intended audience? Would definitions be helpful? Do not include background information or procedural steps, except when required by law or needed for guidance with complying with the policy.

Disclaimer: MHSL’s policy disclaimer language (found at the bottom of this document) must be included in all policies.

Disclaimer

Mitchell Hamline policies are for informational purposes and to set expectations and do not constitute a contract, either express or implied, with any employee, student, or third party. Subject to applicable law, Mitchell Hamline reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate any of the policies or procedures described herein, in whole or in part, at any time, with or without prior notice, at its sole discretion. Mitchell Hamline also may choose not to apply a policy in certain circumstances if it determines a different course of action is more appropriate.