What’s in your toolbox? JOSHUA ADAMS, CORNELL UNIVERSITY MICHELE GROSS, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Thanks to our policy partners Colorado State University – Robert SchurDePaul University – Alyssa Schiffman Florida International University – JoAnn BovaPurdue University – Jessica Teets Old Dominion University – Donna Meeks University of New Mexico – Pamina Deutsch University of the Pacific – Kimberlee Heberle SUNY Empire State College – Patrice DeCoster University of California – Berkeley – Andy Goldblatt University of Texas at San Antonio – Heather Foster Utah Valley University- Cara O’Sullivan

Thanks to our policy partners Howard University – Anita EnglishUniversity of Kansas – Amy Smith Iowa State University – Sheryl RippkeUniversity of Calgary – JoAnn Munn Gafuik Indiana University – Jennifer Kinkaid Ohio State University – Eunice Hornsby Memorial University of Newfoundland – Donna Ball University of California System – Andrei Trifonov Northwest Arkansas Community College – Lynda Lloyd Virginia Commonwealth University – Audrey Michael Grand Valley State University – Tiesha Hogue-Shankin University of North Dakota – Jennifer Rogers

The blueprint: policy on policy Establishes the framework for your policy program Requires review and/or approval by governing authorities Specifies what the scope will be for this policy program/structure ◦Are campus-specific, collegiate, or departmental policies included? ◦What is the relationship to institutional policies (e.g., Board of Regents)? Clarifies the decision-making process and parties

Guide to writing policy Shall or must, can or cannot, etc. Acronyms Standardized references Active vs. passive voice Examples of well-written policies The intent of each section Elements of a policy (or template) Use of tables, charts, and other graphics

Survey says

The door to your policies: the policy web site Responsive web site Addresses policy user needs Includes information for policy owners and other stakeholders Robust search engine – matches your users Highlights new or significantly modified policies Provides contact mechanisms ( links, phone numbers)

Benchmark How does what you’re considering measure up with other institutions? ◦All institutions or peer institutions? Provides contacts for follow-up questions (e.g., compliance rates, enforcement) Can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet or Survey Monkey equivalent Works well with politically sensitive topics ◦Smoke-free initiatives ◦ Pets on campus ◦Firearms on campus ◦ Safety of minors ◦Senior leader compensation

Risk assessment Initially and when a contributing factor changes significantly Types ◦Financial ◦What is the financial cost of failure or what policies contain cost? ◦Reputation ◦Focuses on the external audience (e.g., is adopting a smoke-free campus policy a positive change from a taxpayer, state citizen perspective?) ◦Legal ◦Are there laws regulating the activity? Is the policy imposed externally? ◦Will the activity be audited? ◦Other (e.g., Physical)

Impact statement/policy plan Prior to developing a policy, core questions to be asked and answered Both Cornell and Minnesota use a form (Impact Statement/Policy Plan) Prepared by the policy owner or designate ◦Reason, purpose, and scope of the policy ◦Areas of risk addressed and relationship to laws ◦Impact of the policy (audience, effort, etc.) ◦Relationship to other existing policies ◦Monitoring, communication, and training ◦How/if exceptions may be granted ◦Timeline ◦Cost ◦Stakeholder involvement

Stakeholder consultation matrix Political opponents or supporters ◦Faculty governance ◦Standing committees Individuals who will be affected the most by the policy Individuals or groups who will execute some piece of the process Senior leaders who have overall responsibility for the policy and process Legal and audit departments, where appropriate Could develop a core matrix to consider for each group of policies (faculty senate, finance, etc.)

Example of a consultation matrix

Survey says What tools do you have to aid in the consultation process?

Policy, procedure, and other templates One for all components of a policy, or multiple templates (policy, procedure, FAQ, etc.) Standard titles (headers) Standard sections and placement Standard font(s) Standards for title and subsection labels Level of detail History Other components

Survey says If you are a multi-campus institution, do you have separate templates for each campus? If you also manage more local policies (college, department), do you have separate templates for each entity?

Glossary Common terms Allow or not allow flexibility at the individual policy level Determine if examples can be added to terms Need to update as new policies are created Address inconsistencies with owner(s) Automobile Liability Insurance that provides coverage for third-party bodily injury or property damage in a claim arising form the ownership or use of vehicles the University owns, leases, hires, rents, or borrows.

Feedback mechanisms Direct to policy office staff Direct telephone contact with policy office staff Feedback boxes at the bottom of each policy and related document ◦Goes to policy program ◦Forwarded to policy owner, as needed Overall link to policy program staff on the web site Running history of the feedback received retained for policy owners

Communications plan Components of a communication plan ◦Audience(s) ◦Message(s) ◦Timing (by audience) ◦Who delivers (e.g., policy owner, senior leader) ◦Method of delivery ( template, E-list (opt-in, opt-out, or no opt) meeting, etc.) ◦Frequency ◦Follow-up Responsibility for ongoing communication/training ◦Depends on resources

Survey says What communication about new/revised policies is created by your policy office vs. the owner handling? What communication mechanism works best for you and your institution?

Maintenance tools Status reports ◦How current ◦When next routine review is due ◦When next comprehensive review is due Statistics ◦# hits ◦# of comments submitted ◦Tracking peak periods Reminders ◦Standard/automatic s

Tools and more tools from our colleagues Project Management Plan U of Calgary Let Us Help! Web form U of Kansas Policy Docket Iowa State U Policy Background Memo DePaul U Policy Management System Many! Signature forms (new, retire, etc.) Ohio State Development/ Approval Flowchart Purdue U Document Collaboration System Utah Valley U New User Training Manual U of Kansas Workload Analysis Statement U of Indiana Policy Writer’s Workshop Virginia Commonwealth Annual Brown Bag Info Session NWACC View the handout for the full list!

So, what else is in your toolbox? Policy Development