TO: John Beckford
FROM: T. Allen, Chair, Policies and Procedures
DATE: May 6, 2007
SUBJECT: Annual Report

Each year, the Policies and Procedures Committee reviews one-fifth of the total number of files in the Policies and Procedures Manual for currency. The goal is to review all policies approximately every five years.

The procedure is to (1) refer the policies to their originators for revision, (2) review returned revised policies, and (3) submit revised policies with substantive changes to the faculty for their approval.

The Committee also determined that a total of twenty-three policies would require some review in order to make them consistent with the new academic calendar coming in 2008. Of the twenty-three, four had already been identified for updating this year; and another six files were slated for automatic review next year. The remaining thirteen policies were assigned for review this year and next. Specifically, seven were added to this year’s list and six will be considered next year.

In total, sixty-seven policies were identified for review this year. (Thirty-six of these policies involve administrative units and are not ordinarily subject to faculty review.) Twenty-seven policies were completed. Of these twenty-seven, five were forwarded to, voted on, and adopted by the faculty. Another six policies are pending a faculty vote at the regular May meeting. Thirteen policy files are still pending action by other committees or administrators. The remaining twenty-seven policies were not returned by their originators. Two of these involve calendar issues and will be carried over to next year’s review.

The committee also proposed five Constitutional amendments. Article V, Section 5 was amended to establish three separate standing committees: Faculty Scholarship and Awards Committee, the Study Away Committee, and the First Year Seminar Oversight Committee. Article V, Section 7 was likewise amended to include student membership on the latter two committees.

The Faculty Chair and three other committee chairs consulted our committee for advice and recommendations on several issues.

The chair wishes to express thanks to the committee members for their time and efforts in this service.

Bill Baker, Physics
Bill Berg, Director of Planning and Institutional Research
Lorraine DeJong, Education
Tom Hay, Director of Human Resources
Les Hicken (Recording Secretary), Music
Melinda Menzer, English
Steve O’Neill, History