Development, Revision, and Rescission of UW-Whitewater Policies and Procedures (Procedure #001.A)

Purpose of Procedure

Policies, procedures, and interim policies must be up-to-date, consistent in format and how they are approved, and easily accessible and understandable to stakeholders. This procedure on the development and approval of policies and procedures is issued to promote these objectives and specify the implementation of UWW Policy 1.

Responsible Party

Office of Compliance and Risk Management

Definitions

Initiator: The UW-Whitewater (UWW) representative who initiates a new policy, a change to an existing policy, or the elimination of an existing policy. The Initiator may be the Chancellor, any Vice Chancellor with authority over the subject matter of the policy, the Academic Staff Assembly Chair, the University Staff Council Chair, the Faculty Senate Chair, or the Whitewater Student Government President.

Responsible Party: The UWW representative, group, or committee primarily responsible for overseeing implementation, administration of and updates to a particular policy. The Responsible party may be the chair of the committee that is primarily responsible for overseeing implementation, administration of, and updates to a particular policy.

Procedures

Development, revision, approval, or rescission of UW-Whitewater Policies and Procedures

Development and Revision of UW-Whitewater Policies and Procedures

Any member of the university community wishing to propose a new or revised UWW policy or procedure must communicate such a proposed policy or procedure, request for a proposed policy or procedure, or change to an existing policy or procedure to an appropriate Initiator.
1. Initiator
  
  Once the Initiator agrees to formally change or initiate a new policy or procedure, the Initiator will appoint a Responsible Party.
2. Responsible Party
  
  The Responsible Party will oversee the creation of a draft of the proposed policy or procedure in accordance with the UW-Whitewater Policy and Procedure Templates (UWW Procedure 1.B & UWW Procedure 1.C), with appropriate input and consultation with appropriate shared governance groups.
  
  The Responsible Party revising a policy or procedure shall use track changes to clearly identify all proposed revisions for review by campus stakeholders and leadership. If the extent of the revisions makes the tracked changes difficult to review or interpret, the Responsible Party shall prepare a summary of changes document describing the substantive revisions.
3. Circulation for Review
  
  The Responsible Party shall circulate a draft of the proposed policy or procedure to an informal group of reviewers for comments and feedback. This group of reviewers shall include, but is not limited to, the Initiator, subject matter experts when appropriate, potential users of the proposed policy or procedure, and representatives of groups, including shared governance, affected by the proposed policy or procedure. Alternatively, particularly in the case of policies and procedures originating within faculty or academic staff governance, the Responsible Party may oversee creation or review of the policy or procedure by a committee. The Responsible Party shall indicate to each reviewer, or the designated committee, the deadline for comments on the proposed policy or procedure and the format for submission of such comments.
  
  The Responsible Party shall also circulate the draft to the appropriate Cabinet-level member(s) with oversight of the relevant area or process prior to transmittal to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management as outlined in section 4.I.4.The Responsible Party shall indicate on the UW-Whitewater Policy and Procedure Transmittal Form (UWW Procedure 1.E) under “Circulated to:” the names of individuals or groups that have reviewed and commented on the proposed changes or proposed policy or procedure.
4. Office of Compliance and Risk Management
  
  After circulating a draft of the proposed policy or procedure to an informal group of reviewers and appropriate cabinet level member, the Responsible Party will forward a draft of the proposed policy or procedure along with the Transmittal Form to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management for review and to offer editorial suggestions to assure the following:
  
  1. Consistency in format and presentation;
  2. Appropriate UW-Whitewater policy or procedure numbering;
  3. Absence of conflicts between the proposed policy or procedure and other Federal, State, Board of Regents, Universities of Wisconsin, and UW-Whitewater policies; and
  4. Consistency with laws or external regulations related to the policy or procedure.
  
  When the responsible party is a shared governance body or a respective subcommittee of the shared governance body, the Chair of the applicable body shall submit the proposed policy or procedure to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management for review. Following completion of the review and incorporation of any necessary revisions, the applicable shared governance body shall take formal action on the final development or revision proposal through a passed resolution. The passed resolution shall be included with the final development or revision proposal submitted to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management.
Review of UW-Whitewater Policies and Procedures
1. Chancellor’s Cabinet
  
  After a proposed policy or procedure has been reviewed and approved to move forward in the approval process by the Office of Compliance and Risk Management, the Vice Chancellor or other appropriate Cabinet-level member shall initiate discussion of the proposed policy or procedure at a Chancellor's Cabinet meeting. Chancellor's Cabinet members shall provide feedback and recommendations to the responsible Vice Chancellor or Cabinet-level member for consideration prior to the policy or procedure advancing in the approval process.
2. Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, & Shared Governance Leaders
  
  After a proposed policy or procedure has been reviewed by the Chancellor’s Cabinet, the Vice Chancellor with oversight of the relevant area or process will present the proposed draft of the policy or procedure at the following monthly meeting with the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders.
  
  The Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders will consider the merits of the policy or procedure and its consistency with the missions of UWW and the Board of Regents. The Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders shall consult with appropriate UWW personnel as necessary. The Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders may solicit formal or informal comments or feedback on the draft policy or procedure from the groups they represent.
  
  The Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders may recommend acceptance of the policy or procedure as drafted, recommend changes to the policy or procedure, or recommend against adoption of the policy or procedure.
  
  Once the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders have reviewed the policy or procedure, the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders shall return the policy or procedure with its written recommendations, along with the Transmittal Form, to the Responsible Party. While the written recommendations shall be based on the will of the majority of the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders, they shall include an explanation of any material, unresolved concerns of individual members and the groups they represent. The Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders shall return their recommendations within 60 days of receipt of the policy or procedure.
3. Responsible Party
  
  After receiving any recommendations of the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders, the Responsible Party will consider the recommendations and make final changes to the policy or procedure. If the Responsible Party should choose to reject the recommendations, the Responsible Party will prepare a cover memorandum detailing the reason for the rejection.
  
  The Responsible Party will then submit the final proposed policy or procedure, along with the Transmittal Form, to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management for transmittal to the Chancellor or appropriate Vice Chancellor.
Approval of UW-Whitewater Policies and Procedures
1. Policy Approval
  
  Upon receipt of a proposed policy from the Office of Compliance and Risk Management, the Chancellor may consult with any individual or group prior to approving a proposed policy or, when necessary, forwarding it to the Board of Regents. The Chancellor may also reject the policy or send it back to the Responsible Party for further modifications and/or review by shared governance leaders, if applicable. The Chancellor will take action on a proposed policy within 30 days of receipt.
  
  A proposed policy shall not become effective until approved by the Chancellor or, where necessary, the Board of Regents.
2. Procedure Approval
  
  Upon receipt of a proposed procedure from the Office of Compliance and Risk Management, the appropriate Vice Chancellor may consult with any individual or group prior to approving a proposed procedure or, when necessary, forwarding it to the Chancellor. The Vice Chancellor may also reject the procedure or send it back to the Responsible Party for further modifications and/or review by the shared governance leaders, if applicable. The Vice Chancellor will take action on a proposed procedure within 30 days of receipt.
  
  A proposed procedure shall not become effective until approved by the appropriate Vice Chancellor or, where necessary, the Chancellor.
Publication and Distribution of UW-Whitewater Policies and Procedures

Once approved by the Chancellor, the appropriate Vice Chancellor or, if necessary, the Board of Regents, the Chancellor or Vice Chancellor shall provide the approved policy or procedure, along with the Transmittal Form, to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management. The Office of Compliance and Risk Management shall post the approved policy or procedure on the Policy Library section of the UWW website within five (5) business days from receipt of approval. The Responsible Party shall, in coordination with the Office of Compliance and Risk Management, when necessary, provide the university community notice of and information about the policy or procedure in the manner calculated to best inform the campus.
Interim Policies

The Chancellor or, in the Chancellor’s absence, the Provost, may sign into effect, waive, or temporarily alter any policy in a situation where there is an extraordinary need or emergency requiring that a UWW policy be established, revised, or rescinded in a period too short to permit the completion of the process outlined in this procedure. Interim policies which constitute an alteration of existing policies requiring consultation by the shared governance leaders must be reviewed by the shared governance leaders prior to their implementation. As soon as practicable thereafter and assuming an ongoing need for the policy, the Chancellor shall initiate the process for development and approval of a permanent policy addressing the same subject.

Any interim policy shall be created or revised in accordance with the UW-Whitewater Interim Policy Template (UWW Procedure 1.D) and shall remain in effect until the earlier of one (1) year or adoption of a new policy or modification of an existing policy pursuant to the review and approval process detailed herein. In the meantime, the interim policy shall be considered to be an official policy of UWW. An interim policy may be extended, upon consultation with the Vice Chancellors and Shared Governance Leaders, for an additional one (1) year.
Regular Policy and Procedure Review

The Responsible Party with authority to implement each policy or procedure shall review and update that policy or procedure, or propose its elimination, as necessary but no less frequently than every five (5) years. Revisions to existing policies and procedures shall be processed and approved in the same manner as are new policies and procedures. Annually, the Office of Compliance and Risk Management will notify Responsible Parties of policies and procedures requiring review and updating and will monitor progress to ensure compliance.

If the Responsible Party determines that the existing policy or procedure should be retained without revision or rescission, the Responsible Party shall circulate the existing policy or procedure, along with their written rationale supporting the recommendation, to an informal group of reviewers for comments and feedback. This group of reviewers shall include, but is not limited to, the Initiator, subject matter experts when appropriate, potential users of the proposed policy or procedure, and representatives of groups, including shared governance, affected by the proposed policy or procedure.

When the responsible party is a shared governance body or a respective subcommittee of the shared governance body, the body shall take formal action on the final proposed policy or procedure through a passed resolution prior to submittal to the designated approver. The passed resolution shall be included with the retention proposal.

If, after considering the comments and feedback received, the Responsible Party continues to recommend retaining the existing policy or procedure without revision or rescission, the Responsible Party shall submit the UW-Whitewater Policy and Procedure Retention Proposal Form (UWW Procedure 1.F), including the written recommendation and supporting rationale, to the appropriate Vice Chancellor(s) with oversight of the relevant area or process, Chief of Staff and Senior Strategy and Compliance Officer, or, when appropriate, the Chancellor.

For purpose of and retention, the following shared governance bodies, including their respective subcommittees, shall submit retention proposals to the designated approver:
1. Whitewater Student Government shall submit retention proposals to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.
2. Faculty Senate shall submit retention proposals to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
3. University Staff Council and Academic Staff Assembly shall submit retention proposals to the Chief of Staff and Senior Strategy and Compliance Officer.

The Chancellor, Vice Chancellor(s), or Chief of Staff may consult with any individual or group prior to approving retention of the institutional policy and/or procedure(s) or, when necessary, forwarding it to the Board of Regents. The Chancellor or Vice Chancellor(s) may also reject the retention proposal or send it back to the Responsible Party for further modifications and/or review by shared governance leaders, if applicable. If the Chancellor or Vice Chancellor(s) concurs with the recommendation, they shall forward the UW-Whitewater Policy and Procedure Retention Form, including the written recommendation, supporting rationale, and Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, or Chief of Staff signature to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management.

The review of UW-Whitewater procedures associated with existing UW-Whitewater policies shall coincide with the policy review date.
Rescission of UW-Whitewater Policies and Procedures
1. Initiation and Proposal to Rescind Policies or Procedures
  
  Any member of the university community wishing to propose the elimination of an existing UW-Whitewater policy or procedure must communicate the proposal to rescind to an appropriate Initiator using the Transmittal Form.
  1. Initiator
    
    Once the Initiator agrees to formally initiate the elimination of an existing policy or procedure, the Initiator will forward the proposal to an appropriate Responsible Party.
  2. Responsible Party
    
    The Responsible Party shall review the proposal to ensure that all relevant operational, compliance, and institutional considerations have been evaluated, including whether the policy or procedure remains necessary or applicable.
    
    The Responsible Party shall circulate the rescission proposal to an informal group of reviewers for comments and feedback. This group of reviewers may include, but is not limited to, subject matter experts, potential users of the proposed policy or procedure, and representatives of groups, including shared governance, affected by the proposed policy or procedure.
    
    Following this review, the Responsible Party shall either (1) forward the proposal using the Transmittal Form to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management with any additional context or recommendations, or (2) return the proposal to the Initiator with feedback identifying any gaps or considerations requiring further review prior to submission.
    
    Proposals submitted to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management shall include the Initiator’s rationale along with any additional input provided by the Responsible Party.
  3. Office of Compliance and Risk Management
    
    The Office of Compliance and Risk Management shall review the recommended rescission to identify any legal implications of the proposed elimination and consistency with laws or external regulations related to the policy or procedure. The Office of Compliance and Risk Management may review the recommended rescission in consultation with the Universities of Wisconsin Office of General Counsel.
    
    When the responsible party is a shared governance body or a respective subcommittee of the shared governance body, the Chair of the applicable body shall submit the rescission proposal to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management for review. Following completion of the review, the applicable shared governance body shall take formal action on the rescission proposal through a passed resolution. The passed resolution shall be included with the final rescission proposal submitted to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management.
2. Rescission Review
  1. Chancellor’s Cabinet
    
    After a proposed policy or procedure rescission has been reviewed and approved to move forward in the approval process by the Office of Compliance and Risk Management, the Vice Chancellor or other appropriate Cabinet-level member shall initiate discussion of the proposed policy or procedure at a Chancellor's Cabinet meeting. Chancellor's Cabinet members shall provide feedback and recommendations to the responsible Vice Chancellor or Cabinet-level member for consideration prior to the policy or procedure rescission advancing in the approval process.
  2. Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders
    
    After a proposed policy or procedure rescission has been reviewed by the Chancellor’s Cabinet, the Vice Chancellor with oversight of the relevant area or process will present the proposed rescission of the policy or procedure at the following monthly meeting with the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders.
    
    The Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders will consider the merits of eliminating the policy or procedure and its consistency with the missions of UWW and the Board of Regents of the Universities of Wisconsin. The Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders shall consult with appropriate UWW personnel as necessary. The Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders may solicit formal or informal comments or feedback on the proposal to rescind from the groups they represent.
    
    The Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders may recommend that the policy be repealed or recommend against repealing the policy.
    
    Once the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Shared Governance Leaders have reviewed the proposal to rescind, they will submit their recommendations to the Chancellor within 60 days of receipt of the proposed rescission.
  3. Approval of Rescission
    
    Upon receipt of a proposed rescission from the Vice Chancellor and Shared Governance Leaders, the Chancellor may consult with any individual or group prior to approving or, when necessary, forwarding it to the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents. The Chancellor may also reject the rescission if they determine that the policy or procedure remains relevant and necessary for the institution. In such cases, the Chancellor may recommend revisions to the existing policy or procedure rather than its rescission. The Chancellor will take action on a proposed rescission within thirty (30) days of receipt.
    
    After the rescission of a policy or procedure is approved by the Chancellor, the Chancellor will transmit the decision to the Office of Compliance and Risk Management. The Office of Compliance and Risk Management will then remove the policy or procedure from the Policy Library on the UWW website. In addition, the Office of Compliance and Risk Management shall provide the university community notice of and information about the rescission in the manner calculated to best inform the campus.

Policy History

First approved: September 2025
Revised: September 2026