Page 4 - 2012 Policies Manual_draft 1

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2 | BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN COLLEGE
College Policies
College policies articulate requirements and restrictions, and establish standards, rights
and responsibilities that apply generally throughout the College.
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to establish standards for developing, approving, issuing,
monitoring, revising, and decommissioning Birmingham-Southern College policies. This
standard is designed to ensure College policies are well defined, understandable, and
consistent with the mission of the College.
Definition of a Policy
A College policy is an official statement expressing the position of the College on an issue
of campus-wide importance or a policy that requires the coordination of two or more
officials for developing, implementing, administering, or monitoring. A policy guides the
decisions and actions of the College and is consistent with its mission. As such, it meets
the following criteria:
The President of the College (and for certain policies defined herein, the Board)
has sanctioned it.
It has a campus-wide application or its development, implementation,
administration, or monitoring requires the oversight of two or more officials. It is
a governing principle for both established and envisioned activities of the College.
It exists to ensure consistency in College practice that conforms to federal and state
legislation, the College’s bylaws, mission, and goals, and other legal requirements.
What differentiates a policy from a procedure? Procedures and protocols are methods
established for the implementation of policies. If a policy is “what” the College does, its
procedures and protocols are “how” it carries out the requirements of a policy. Procedures
and protocols should not be included in the main body of a College policy; rather they
should be listed following the College policy or maintained separately. If maintained
separately, the policy should indicate where the procedures and protocol reside and how
they can be accessed.