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Policies and Procedures
Policy Approval Procedures

Overview

New York State Education law (Sec. 6004) authorizes the College Board of Trustees to make regulations governing:

  1. The care, custody and management of lands, grounds, buildings and equipment, and
  2. The conduct and behavior of students.

In all other matters the College President makes regulations after consultation with appropriate campus constituencies including, but not restricted to, the College Board of Trustees and the College faculty.  

Certain policies may require collective bargaining negotiation at the College, SUNY or State-level.

Issues and ideas that may result in new or amended College policies may originate within the Board of Trustees, Executive Cabinet, Cabinet, Academic Council, Faculty Governance committees (Executive, standing or ad hoc), or with any individual faculty or staff member or group of individuals.  

College policy may be recommended to College Board of Trustees or President via the procedures articulated below, which are intended to:

  • Ensure clarity and transparency of College policy statements and to
  • Communicate approved College policy to the College-wide community.

Separate procedures are prescribed for approval of policies that are directly related to the College’s academic mission, those that are not, and those that are mandated by SUNY.  The Executive Cabinet, in consultation with the Executive Chair of Faculty Governance, will determine whether a policy is academic, non-academic or a SUNY mandate.

Glossary of Terms

College:  The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Policy:  a definite course or method of action (selected from among alternatives and in light of given conditions) to guide and determine present and future decisions; or a high-level overall plan embracing the general goals and acceptable procedures especially of a governmental body.  (Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/policy)

SUNY Policy:  Policy mandated by SUNY system central offices, the SUNY Board of Trustees, broadly by state government entities covering all campuses within the SUNY system.

College Policy:  Policy as defined above that originates on the ESF Campus(es), and is specific to the ESF Campus(es).  College Policy affects multiple units and departments, and provides direction to the entire college community in specified areas.  The definition of College Policy does not include departmental/unit level or local policies and procedures internal to the workings of any single department or unit within the campus. College Policy also does not refer to decision making related to departmental or administrative procedures, or day-to-day decision making necessary to carry out policy. 

Administrative Personnel:  Members of the President’s Executive Cabinet

Campus Personnel:  Includes Faculty, Staff, Students, and Administrative Personnel

Procedures for approving College Policies affecting the academic mission 

  1. Suggestions for new or amended College policies will be communicated to the Executive Chair of Faculty Governance.  Such proposals will then be remanded to the appropriate standing committee(s) of Faculty Governance for consideration.   If no appropriate standing committee can be identified, the Executive Committee of Faculty Governance will consider the proposal.
  2. The designated committees will generate recommendations regarding the adoption of new or amended College policies.  Committees are expected to consult with effected campus constituents in developing their recommendations.
  3. The Executive Committee of Faculty Governance will review policy recommendations generated by standing or ad hoc committees to determine if they are fully formed and ready for consideration by the full membership of Faculty Governance.  Once approved by the Executive Committee, policy recommendations will be presented for discussion and endorsement at the next appropriate College-wide meeting.  Endorsement will be determined by vote of the membership of Faculty Governance via electronic ballot.   
  4. Once endorsed by the membership of Faculty Governance, the Executive Chair of Faculty Governance will communicate the policy recommendation with the voting results to the College President within 10 working days. 
  5. College Policy is official when the President has signed the policy document.
  6. All adopted resolutions on College Policy and official College Policy changes, will be posted to the Faculty Governance website, recorded in the College President’s office and archived by the Secretary of Faculty Governance within 10 working days after being signed by the President.
  7. The President will share significant additions or amendments to College policy with the ESF Board of Trustees.

Procedures for approving non-Academic College Policies 

  1. Suggestions for new or amended College policies may originate with any faculty, staff or Board of Trustees member.  Suggestions arising within the faculty or staff ranks should be transmitted through the chain of command, with review at each level, to the supervising vice president for consideration by Executive Cabinet.
  2. Executive Cabinet will consider suggested policy changes and either decline to act or commission the drafting of policy to be reviewed by Cabinet and Academic Council.
  3. Cabinet and Academic Council will provide commentary on the draft policy whereupon Executive Cabinet will compose a final draft policy for Board of Trustees and/or presidential approval (see the first paragraph of the policy for Board of Trustees jurisdiction).
  4. College Policy is official when the College Board of Trustees or President has signed the policy document.
  5. Newly approved College policies will communicated to the campus by email and be posted to the web page of the Vice President for Administration within 10 working days after being signed by the President.
  6. The President will share significant additions or amendments to College policy that he/she has approved with the College Board of Trustees.

Standard Procedures for Policies originating within SUNY Administration

Any policy mandated by SUNY is not subject to this set of Procedures.  However all SUNY mandates at a minimum, will be presented at the next College-wide Meeting and will then be posted to the Faculty Governance website, recorded in the College President’s office and archived by the Secretary of Faculty Governance within 10 working days of the College-wide Meeting at which it is presented.

Urgent Policy

In times of exigency, ad hoc College Policy of any type may be developed and executed outside standard procedures; however, the ad hoc College Policy will be communicated to the Executive Chair within 10 working days to expedite communication to the Executive Committee and Academic Council and will be presented at the next Faculty Governance meeting.  Ad hoc College Policy may remain active for up to six months at which time it must be vetted through standard procedures (academic or non-academic as appropriate) or be retired.