Policy and Procedure Policy

​The responsibility for establishing College policies rests with the president of the College.

It is the intent of the College to follow policies and procedures established by the Chancellor, the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (Minnesota State); applicable Federal, State, and Local Government Statutes; and the College. Policies established by the Chancellor or the Minnesota State College Board of Trustees shall have precedence over Local policies of the College.

Before implementing new policies or policy changes (except in an emergency situation), the president of the College will afford an opportunity, where applicable, for faculty, staff, and student leadership to review the policy or the change in policy. A formal presentation will be made to the Cabinet Team, Leadership Team and Faculty Shared Governance Council before implementing new policies or changes in policy. When required a formal presentation will also be made to the student leadership. All new and revised policies will be shared with the College Community using Saint Paul Broadcast System at the end of fall and spring semesters.​​

Reference Minnesota State 1A.1​

Rev. 6.00

The Policy Development and Implementation Procedure guides the development, review, approval, and communication processes for both existing and newly proposed Saint Paul College policies and procedures. Nothing in this procedure serves to supersede or alter existing collective bargaining agreement language.

A process for policy development, approval, and dissemination shall be guided by the Equity and Inclusion Committee. Prior to review of any policies and procedures are undertaken, the Equity and Inclusion Committee will review the Policy and Procedure Development Guidelines.

Approval Process.

The need for a new policy or procedure may arise at any time, and any member of the faculty, staff, administration, or Student Senate may bring forth a proposal. In addition, all existing policies and procedures shall require review every five years to determine whether they should be continued, updated, or rescinded. The process for policy development, approval, and dissemination shall occur in the following manner:

Standard Review, Approval, and Communication Process.

1.   The Policy Owner is responsible for working with the appropriate Vice President, department, and committee/council (for example, the Shared Governance, AA&SC, or Student Senate), prior to submitting a draft for review.
2. A draft of a newly proposed policy or procedure, including a statement of need and the impact on the college community shall be submitted to the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for consideration. Items for consideration include:
   • Review of new policies and procedures
   • Policies and procedures reaching the end of their five-year effective period.
3. The Equity and Inclusion Committee shall consider submitted proposals and current policies for review. As is needed, the Committee shall call upon internal and external resources to assist with additional review, research, or revision of policies and procedures. The Committee will also review the policy for alignment with the College’s Mission, Vision, Values and Anti-racist, trauma-informed commitment. Meeting minutes will incorporate a summary of conversations related to comments and provide a rationale for committee recommendations.
4. Policies approved to move forward will be made available for a 14-day public comment period. Following the 14-day comment period, the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion  shall release drafts of policies and procedures to the Executive Cabinet and shall incorporate comments to the drafts as appropriate.
5. The President shall present the final drafts to the Faculty Shared Governance and shall incorporate comments to the drafts as appropriate.
6. Policies and procedures become effective when approved by the President.
7. The Office of the President shall communicate the decisions of the President to the campus community according to the policy.

Expedited Review, Approval, and Communication Process.

A policy or procedure may require changes to ensure compliance with Minnesota State requirements or adherence to federal or state law. On these occasions, the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion shall seek input to the extent possible in a shortened time frame. Final drafts with incorporated comments shall be presented to the Executive Cabinet for a final recommendation and the President for final approval. Policies and procedures become effective when approved by the President. The campus community shall be notified of the change.

Policy Impact Assessment

New policies will be required to complete a policy impact assessment (PIA) one year following implementation. The PIA will provide policy owners an opportunity to ensure policies are effective, compliant, and algin with institutional values with implementation.

A College policy may be retired if it meets the following criteria: 

• Policy no longer aligns with the institutional mission, MNSCU System, state or federal requirements.  
• Policy is superseded by new regulations or policies. 
• Policy is outdated or redundant. 

Standard Review, Approval, and Communication Process for Policy Retirement. 

 The Policy Owner is responsible for working with the appropriate Vice President, department, and committee/council (for example, the Shared Governance, AA&SC, or Student Senate), prior to submitting a policy for retirement.    

A rationale for the retirement of the policy must be submitted to the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for consideration. The Equity and Inclusion Committee shall consider submitted policies for retirement as is needed. The Committee shall call upon internal and external resources to assist with additional review. Meeting minutes will incorporate a summary of conversations related to comments and provide a rationale for committee recommendations. 

Policies recommended for retirement will be shared with Executive Cabinet and Faculty Shared Governance including the rationale for retirement.  

• Requests for policy retirement become effective when approved by the President. 

• The Office of the President shall communicate the decisions of the President to the campus community according to the policy. 

• Policies approved for retirement will be removed from the policy webpage.  

• A copy of the retired policy with retirement date and rationale will be kept in the policy archive.