Policy Making Process

A.  Initiation

Any member of the board, administration, faculty or student body may initiate a proposed board policy at any time. The proposed policy will be reviewed by the appropriate members of the administration and approved by the president. All policies will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for review and/or approval.

B.  Review and Recommendation by President's Cabinet

Proposed board policies will be presented at the president's cabinet meeting by members of the cabinet. There will be a minimum of one meeting for presentation of the policy and one meeting for discussion of a proposed board policy in order to allow time for all appropriate individuals to consider the proposed policy.

C.  Approval by President for Submission to the Board

Approval of a proposed board policy for submission to the board will be by the president, following the review and recommendation by the president's cabinet.

D.  Presentation of Proposed Board Policy at Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees

After a proposed policy has been approved by the president, it will be presented to the board as a first read as part of the board packet for the monthly board meeting. Feedback and changes will be made and the final draft will be voted on at the next monthly board meeting. In some cases, this timeline will need to be shortened and a policy can be presented and voted on during the same month.

E.  Adoption by the Board of Trustees and Distribution

After a board policy is adopted by the Board of Trustees, it will be numbered, dated and posted to the policy manual on the college website.

F.  Monitoring Board Policy Effectiveness

Following the adoption of the board policy, the president's cabinet has been charged with periodically assessing the effectiveness of the policy. At any time, the president and cabinet are expected to submit an existing policy that does not continue to meet the needs of the institution along with a rationale for why the policy is not meeting needs and the proposed new policy with an explanation for the changes. If the president approves amending the policy, the amended policy is expected to follow the process outlined in D and E of this policy.

G.  Timeline of Policy Review

Policies are reviewed continually and at a minimum, every policy should be reviewed every five (5) years from the date of board approval.

H.  Compliance with Executive Orders of the President of the United States

To establish a uniform procedure for ensuring that the policy manual remains consistent with and compliant to all currently effective Executive Orders issued by the President of  the United States, the following guidance is provided on how the College policies shall be interpreted, suspended, or reinstated in response to such federal directives.

Any existing College policy, administrative procedure, or directive that conflicts with, or is in violation of, a validly implemented Executive Order shall be deemed temporarily null and void for the duration of such Executive Order. During that period, the conflicting College policy shall not be enforced by the College, its administration, or its representatives.

Upon the rescission, expiration, or termination of the relevant Executive Order, any College policy previously suspended or rendered inoperative under this section shall be automatically reinstated and enforceable without further action by the Board of Trustees or College administration, unless otherwise amended or repealed by the Board.

Responsibilities

The President of the College, in consultation with the College Solicitor, shall:

• Monitor Executive Orders issued by the President of the United States;
• Identify any College policies potentially affected or rendered inconsistent with those Executive Orders;
• Notify the Board of Trustees and appropriate administrative offices of any policy suspension or reinstatement under this section; and
• Recommend any permanent revisions to College policy necessary to maintain compliance with applicable federal law and Executive Orders.