Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual - Policy 1100: Development and Approval of Administrative Policies

Date Originally Issued: 06-05-2009
Revised: 05-10-2017, 12-09-2020, 03-08-2023

Authorized by RPM 3.1 ("Responsibilities of the President")

Process Owner: University Policy Officer

1. General

The policies in the University Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual (UAP) have broad application throughout the University. They help ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, enhance the University's mission, promote operational efficiencies, and reduce institutional risk. Each of the policies includes two important elements: institutional policy and any procedures necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the intent and application of the policy. To develop effective policy, the UNM Policy Office seeks input from both subject matter experts and from individuals affected by the policy. The UNM Policy Office administers the UAP and reports to the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration.

This policy describes the process used to develop or revise policies, solicit input, and obtain approval of policies.

2. Development of Policy

Individuals wishing to propose or revise a policy should send their request to the UNM Policy Office.  The UNM Policy Office will work with subject matter experts and individuals representing areas impacted by the policy to develop a preliminary draft. The draft is then circulated for review and comment to major campus constituent groups, such as the Faculty Senate Operations and Policy Committees, Staff Council Executive Committee, and Deans’ Council. At the same time, the Office of University Counsel reviews the policy for legal sufficiency. Based on the received comments, the policy draft is refined and prepared for subsequent review.

3. All-Campus Review of Policy

The refined policy draft is posted on the UNM Policy Office website for a 30-day, all-campus review and comment period. Comment periods may be shorter or longer if there is a compelling legal, administrative, or business need. The comment period is announced on the UNM Policy Office website, in the UNM News Minute, and on the UNM Policy Office listserv. The UNM Policy Office, typically in conjunction with the core group involved in the development of the draft, reviews the comments received and, as appropriate, drafts additional changes to the policy.

3.1. Process Owner

The UNM Policy Office will assign a position to serve as the process owner for the functions covered by the policy. The process owner is responsible for policy implementation and for notifying the UNM Policy Office of any proposed changes in practice that will require a policy change prior to implementing such a change. In addition, the University Policy Officer may ask process owners to periodically review applicable policies and report any necessary changes.  

4. Approval and Distribution of Policy

All new and revised policies in the UAP must be endorsed by the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and approved by the University President in writing. Upon approval by the University President, policies are issued on the UNM Policy Office website, and announced on the UNM Policy Office website, in the UNM News Minute, and on the UNM Policy Office listserv. 

4.1. Dean, Director, and Department Head Responsibilities

Deans, directors, and department heads, or their designees, are responsible for:

• informing their employees of new policies or changes to existing policies; and
• ensuring that all related departmental processes, procedures, and documents are updated to reflect new or revised policies.

Instead of maintaining printed copies of the UAP, departments and other units should refer to the online version of the manual on the UNM Policy Office website to ensure that they refer to the most recent versions of the policies.

5. Minor Changes or Corrections to Policy

5.1. Minor Changes

If the University Policy Officer determines that proposed changes are minor in nature and either required by regulatory changes or necessary to conform to current practices, an abbreviated policy revision process may be used. Such changes to policy are not sent to the campus for a 30-day, all-campus review and comment period, but must still be endorsed by the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and approved by the University President in writing. Minor changes are announced on the UNM Policy Office website, in the UNM News Minute, and on the UNM Policy Office listerv.

5.2. Corrections

Without requesting written approval of each change, the UNM Policy Office may revise affected policies to correct departmental or other unit names, position titles, grammatical errors, typographical errors, Uniform Resource Locator (or URL) links, or other similar occurrences.

6. Policy Archive

The UNM Policy Office maintains an archive of historic versions of administrative policies that are available upon request.