University Policies
University Compliance is the official home of all university policies and procedures.
WesternU has established these policies to support the university’s mission; enhance operational efficiency; governance; and, communicate expectations while reducing institutional risk.
Each WesternU campus is responsible for establishing and maintaining additional administrative policies specific to their needs and structure. No Operating Unit may adopt a policy or practice that is inconsistent with, or expands any university-wide policy, however, an Operating Unit’s specific policies may be more restrictive.
Policies and procedures constitute a living document and the university reserves the right to revise a policy at any time.
Each member of the WesternU community is responsible for familiarizing themselves with, and adhering to these policies and procedures
Mission
To enhance University operations through the development, alignment, and oversight of policies and compliance strategies.
Vision
To create an environment where all university operations are aligned with the highest standards of regulatory compliance and ethical practice, contributing to the university’s overall success and sustainability.
University Policy Portal
The WesternU Policy Portal and related processes is managed by University Compliance. For questions related to the Policy Portal, policy process or management of policies, please contact policy@westernu.edu. For questions related to a specific policy, you should contact the email listed at the bottom of the policy document.
Requires WesternU Employees login: University Policy Portal
Policy Governance Framework
This Policy on Policies outlines the process for policy development, approval, and maintenance of University, College, and Department-specific policies and procedures, except for those policies listed as excluded below. This Policy on Policies and its corresponding procedure, creates a standardized policy governance framework based on the following principles:
- Policies align with the mission and vision of WesternU.
- Defines clear ownership and accountability in the policy development, implementation, and maintenance process.
- Enables collaboration and engagement from stakeholders, while being efficient and effective.
- Policies, procedures, and related documents and communication are clearly written, in a consistent and accessible format, and maintained in a centralized repository.
- Policies are kept up-to-date and compliant with relevant regulatory, accreditation, or other requirements.Policy Governance Bodies
Policy Review Core Team (PRCT)
The PRCT reviews all University policies in accordance with the Policy on Policies to validate that policies are aligned with the University’s policy governance framework and related processes. When appropriate, the PRCT may also review University procedures, college- or department-specific policies and serve as advisors on policy changes during emergencies.
Policy Approval Process
Submit a New Policy or Revise an Existing Policy
Before you begin the development of a new policy or major revisions to an existing policy, please contact the policy@westernu.edu for assistance.
All new policies or those with major revisions, must submit the Policy Request Form. This can be submitted before the draft policy is completed.
This step helps ensure that the appropriate subject matter experts are involved from the beginning and that a new policy or major revisions are truly needed before doing the work of drafting the policy language.
Policy owners are responsible for writing, updating, and distributing college- or department specific policies must comply with the Policy on Policies and related procedures.
The policy process is typically initiated by the Policy Owner who represents the Responsible Department that owns the proposed or existing policy. Generally, the Policy Owner reports directly or indirectly to the Senior Administrator of the Responsible Department. The Policy Owner is responsible for drafting the policy, consulting subject matter experts, and monitors the development and implementation of the policy from the time it is enacted.
The Policy Owner may designate another individual to draft the policy, but they are ultimately responsible for the policy content, it’s development and implementation.
Notify the policy@westernu.edu as soon as you begin the policy process! We are here to help facilitate the process.
During this predevelopment phase, the Policy Owner should:
- Consult with the UPO and review existing WesternU policies to confirm necessity.
- Assess policy gaps/needs and review policies from benchmark institutions.
- Draft new or revised policy.
- Notify the Senior Administrator for the Responsible Department that the policy will be under development.
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It is highly recommended that you involve the appropriate Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) during the development phase as this can help speed up the process during the review and approval phases.
Once the new or revised policy draft is ready for review, please submit to policy@westernu.edu. In this email, please include the rationale behind this policy, who was consulted during the development, and any additional information that would be helpful for its review.
University policies must be:
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Presented in a common format on the WesternU Policy Template (unless a different format is approved by the UPO).
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Formally approved by the processes outlined in the Policy on Policies.
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In compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and accrediting bodies.
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Maintained centrally and be accessible to all applicable stakeholders.
When a new university, college-, or department-specific policy is being established, it must go through the full university policy process as outlined below.
Major revisions, which are substantive content changes to existing policies, must go through the full university policy process as outlined below.
Minor revisions are changes that are driven by accreditation standards, laws or regulations, grammatical or formatting changes, or other changes which reflect minor improvements to the
procedures to more effectively implement the policy, or better align the policy with other existing university governance documents. These types of edits also include non-substantive
administrative revisions (e.g., new contact details, new position titles, date of last review, links to related policy materials, transferring content onto standardized template, etc.). Minor Revisions or Edits may not require the formal policy review and approval process. Revisions of this nature should be requested through the Policy Request Form and will be reviewed by the
UPO for the appropriate approval process. The UPO may recommend review by other SMEs or PRCT members as needed to ensure the policy is current and accurate
An existing policy that has been reviewed in full and is confirmed to be current. This process requires approval by the UPO and the designated Senior Administrator of the Responsible
Department. The UPO may recommend review by other SMEs or PRCT members as needed to ensure the policy is current and accurate. Policy renewals must be requested through the Policy
Request Form.
Contact Us
For assistance locating a policy, providing feedback on a policy, or information about creating or editing a policy, please contact the University Policy Office.