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Work under way to update University policies |
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Jim Winkler |
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Apr 16, 2008 |
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A 15-member committee is working on one of the biggest administrative projects in recent University of Toledo history — a comprehensive review of administrative policies on the Main and Health Sciences campuses that addresses everything from faculty governance and purchasing to academic dishonesty and athletic team travel.
Dr. William McMillen, vice president for governmental relations and chief of staff, heads the group that is doing the nitty-gritty work of cataloging all policies; establishing a consistent format, vetting and approval process; identifying and resolving conflicting policies; combining policies where appropriate; clarifying processes for submitting new policies and for revising existing ones; and developing a central policy Web site for easy use by faculty, staff and students.
A September deadline has been established to gather, review and vet policies in seven critical areas — undergraduate academics, graduate and professional school academics, research, human resources, financing and planning, student affairs and information technology. Scrutiny of policies governing facilities, institutional advancement, marketing and communications, compliance, general counsel, institutional diversity, safety, security, athletics, the UT Medical Center and the UT Medical Center medical staff started in January and is continuing. The committee is meeting weekly until its work is completed.
All University policies, whether they are current, under review or out-of-date, have been moved to a central Web site location. Faculty and staff members and students can visit the site to provide input on new and revised policies before they become official. Draft and recently signed policies are posted on a comment page for 30 days, during which time the campus community has an opportunity to offer comments and suggestions.
The Web address is http://utoledo.edu/policies/.
Faculty, staff and members who automatically want to receive an e-mail when new policies are added to the policy Web site should send an e-mail to policies@utoledo.edu with “policies posted for comment” in the subject line.
The committee, which began its work last November, has written — and UT President Lloyd Jacobs has approved — “a policy on policies” that addresses issues such as formatting, resolving policy conflicts, issuance and archiving. All policies must follow a standardized, written format as well as a reference and number system that organizes University policies by subject matter. All University policies will be reviewed every three years.
In addition, committee member Aaron Baker, who recently joined UT as a governmental relations specialist, is working to gather information about the number, membership and function of committees on all UT campuses. A directory of committee information eventually will be maintained on the University Web site.
McMillen emphasized that the committee is not responsible for promulgating the substance of policy. That is to be done by University departments, colleges, divisions and other administrative units. The committee is driving the process on colleges and departments to make sure they complete the work.
“If the University is going to make progress toward its merger-related goals, a review of this scope is absolutely essential,” McMillen said. “There are many policies that need updating. With the assistance of many administrative units, the committee has cataloged all policies and is working to identify policies that are potential problems.
“The importance of uniform, well-crafted University policies cannot be understated,” McMillen continued. “They help connect the University’s missions and values to individual conduct; outline what is expected of faculty, staff and students; support the University’s compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations; help reduce institutional risk; and enhance productivity and efficiency. Dr. Jacobs has announced that this academic year is the year of sustainability. To that end, it is important that we get our internal house in order.”
In addition to McMillen and Baker, other committee members are Bob Bartels, information systems administrator; Bethany Bondy, compliance specialist; Lauri Cooper, senior legal counsel; Dr. Walter Edinger, associate professor of psychiatry; Elizabeth Griggs, assistant to the vice president for legal affairs and university policy coordinator; Lynn Hutt, compliance director; Dr. Andy Jorgensen, associate professor of chemistry; Kwabena Kankam, director of internal audit; Nancy Koerner, director of planned giving; Terry Metzler, hospital administration data systems coordinator; Pete Papadimos, general counsel; Michele Martinez, special projects manager in the President’s Office; and Jim Winkler, communications manager.
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