Standard Policy Format

Policy Number (Required for Existing GPL Policies)

Identifies the section of the Governance Policy Library in which it resides, as well as its position within the section. The Office of the Provost adds this information during the publishing process.  As a result, authors are not responsible for including it when submitting a policy proposal.

Policy Title (Required)

The title of a policy should effectively and briefly convey its content and conform to IPPM editorial standards.

Scope (Required as a Separate Section)

Identifies who and/or what is affected, such as “all divisions, departments and academic units of RIT,” “all regular employees,” or “graduation requirements for all degree programs.”

Policy Statement (Required as a Separate Section)

States the general and specific content and provisions of the policy.  Authors are encouraged to state procedures separately unless they are intrinsically tied to the policy itself or unless stating them separately would detract or significantly diminish clarity or ease in understanding.

Rationale (Optional as a Separate Section)

Provides the rationale for the policy.  Describes the circumstances to which the policy responds, or the problem or conflict it resolves.  States any federal, state, or local statutes or regulations related to the policy.  If applicable, identifies other related RIT policies.

Definitions (Optional as a Separate Section)

To enhance clarity of meaning and accurate interpretation, terms of central importance in the statement of policy should be defined.  In policies where the number of such terms is limited, the definitions may appear in the policy statement itself.

If the number of such terms makes defining them in the policy statement unwieldy or confusing, use a separate section to list and define them.  Each appearance of each defined term in the policy statement should then be hyperlinked to the appropriate definition in this separate section.

Procedures (Optional as a Separate Section)

States procedures related to the policy.  Procedures should, in concrete terms, describe how the policy will be implemented or enforced, the actions or mechanisms related to implementation or enforcement, and the roles accountable for each. If relevant procedures are not included in either the policy statement or a separate procedures section, authors are expected to make them accessible via a hyperlink to the website where they reside.

Responsible Office(s) (Required)

Provides name of one or more office, department, or group and position responsible for stewardship of the policy and/or maintaining its procedures.  Includes all relevant contact information, such as phone, office location, e-mail addresses, and website URL.

Effective Date (Required)

The effective date of an edited, new, or revised policy is the date of final approval by the applicable governance group or an alternate date agreed upon by the responsible office and applicable governance group. 

Policy History (Required)

Documents the date of initial approval of a policy as well as dates of approved substantive and editorial changes over time. In addition to providing the final version of content in a Word document for a new or revised policy, the responsible office communicates the approval date to Office of the Provost to add during the publishing process.