Policies & Procedures
Policies & Procedures / Policy on Policies

Policy on Policies

Purpose: 

Willamette University creates policies to ensure that community standards are applied with consistency and according to the University’s mission and values.  As such, this policy provides the framework to develop new policies and revise and review existing policies. 

Definitions Related to this Policy:

Adopted Policy means a policy that has been approved by the President of the University and is therefore, an official policy of the University. 

Policy Sponsor means a University stakeholder that has identified a policy need. 

Policy Committee means the direct reports of the President. 

Policy: 

  1. The Office of General Counsel (OGC) manages the policy development process for institution-wide policies and maintains the University Policy Page.

Note: Academic Policies that have an institution wide or cross-school/college impact will typically be initiated by the Provost or their designee. If there is uncertainty about the scope of a proposed academic policy, the Policy Sponsor should contact the Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Academic Planning, who in turn, will work with the OGC to help determine the scope of the proposed policy and the appropriate process.

2. Policy Development Process - To create a new policy, Policy Sponsors should follow these steps:

  1. Submit a draft of the proposed policy to the VP or Dean using the official University Policy template.
  2. The VP or Dean will review the proposed policy and ensure that appropriate offices and stakeholders have been consulted prior to the proposed policy being presented to the Policy Committee. 
  3. Once the proposed policy has been finalized and approved by the VP or Dean, the Policy Sponsor will submit a final draft to the Assistant General Counsel using the official University Policy Template. 
  4. After review by the OGC, the final draft of the proposed policy will be submitted to the Policy Committee who will:
  5. Once a policy becomes an Adopted Policy, it will be posted to the University Policy Page. 

3. Policy Review and Revision -  The Policy Owner and/or the Responsible Office listed on a policy are responsible for conducting periodic reviews of its policies and making any necessary revisions.

  1. Policy review should be conducted as needed, or at least annually, to ensure that policies comply with and reflect current laws, regulations, and practices.  
  2. If the policy owner determines that a policy needs revisions, the policy owner should follow steps b-d in section 2 of this policy.  
  3. The Policy Committee may determine at any time that a University Policy needs revision. For minor or non-substantive changes to University policies, the Policy Committee may adopt the change without following the above process. 

4. Posting Policies for Comment - If the Policy Committee determines posting for public comment is appropriate, posting will include the following steps:

a. The OGC will post a policy for comment for a reasonable period of time (generally not less than 10 calendar days). 

b. An announcement and a link to the policy will be published in the Today @ Willamette. The announcement will include an email where comments and feedback can be directed. 

c. When the commenting period is over, the policy will be removed from the website and either approved as written or returned to the Policy Sponsor for further action. 

d. If the policy is approved, it will be sent to the President and become an Adopted Policy as of the date it is signed by the President. 

5. Decommissioning a Policy - To decommission a policy, a policy owner or responsible office should seek approval from the appropriate Vice President. The Vice President will consult with the OGC to determine next steps.

6.  Authority of the President to Enact Policies - Nothing herein limits the authority of the President of the University, or the President’s designee, to enact such emergency or interim policies as the President or the designee determines to be in the best interests of the University or to make exceptions to any University Policy.  

Effective Date: October 10, 2025
Responsible Person/Primary Contact: Assistant General Counsel 
Responsible University Office: Office of General Counsel