Institutional Policies

College Policies are defined as administrative policies and procedures that are college-wide in scope or application, whether developed individually as a stand-alone policy or within part of a larger policy and procedures handbook or manual.

Formal college policies are contained in the Columbia College Policy Manual which is available on Koala Connection for all CC faculty, staff and students.  This online manual will be published annually by the Office of the President and will contain all official, college-approved versions of administrative policies and procedures.

The Policy on Policies governs the development and oversight of all formal college policies and procedures. This policy establishes a standard approval and review process and identifies required policy sections to improve communication, promote administrative consistency and efficiency, and ensure compliance with state and federal laws as well as state and regional accreditation requirements.

Questions about policies at Columbia College?  Please contact Joye Hipp in the Office of the President at joyehipp@columbiasc.edu.

Columbia College Policy on Policies

(Approved by the Columbia College Board of Trustees on November 3, 2023)

• PURPOSE
  
  The Policy on Policies governs the development and oversight of all formal college policies and procedures. This policy establishes a standard approval and review process and identifies required policy sections to improve communication, promote administrative consistency and efficiency, and ensure compliance with state and federal laws as well as state and regional accreditation requirements.
   
• SCOPE
  
  College policies are defined as administrative policies and procedures that are college-wide in scope or application, whether developed individually as a stand-alone policy or within part of a larger policy and procedures handbook.
  
  This policy does not apply to college governance documents approved by the Board of Trustees such as the Columbia College By-Laws, other Board policies, or the Columbia College Faculty Manual.
   
• OFFICIAL POLICY RECORDS
  
  All formal college policies will be contained in the Columbia College Policy Manual. This online manual will be published annually by the Office of the President and will contain all official, college-approved versions of administrative policies and procedures.
  
  Additionally, all known versions of college policies and handbooks, including repealed and previous versions, will be maintained in a Policy Archive within the Office of the President.
   
• ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITY
  • Responsible Policy Officer:  Within each administrative division, the vice president (or in the case of an area without a vice president, the most senior College employee) is considered the responsible officer for the development, implementation, and communication of that administrative division's policies. 
    
    A policy may be drafted by an individual other than the Responsible Policy Officer, but the Responsible Policy Officer must review any proposed college policy in that individual's area before it begins the policy approval process.
     
  • Policy Advisory Committee: Each administrative division and the Faculty Senate will annually appoint a representative to the Policy Advisory Committee. The Policy Advisory Committee will review all draft policies and procedures in preparation for the approval process as well as guide any internal planning processes needed to address a policy or procedure issue that crosses divisions.

PROCEDURE

• APPROVAL PROCESS
  • New, Substantially Revised or Repealed Policies
    • New, substantially revised or repealed college policies should be submitted by the administrative division to the Policy Advisory Committee for review and approval. 
    • Following approval by the Policy Advisory Committee, the policy will then be submitted by the Responsible Policy Officer to the Senior Leadership Team for review. 
    • When appropriate, draft policies will be circulated to the college community for comment before final revision and approval. 
    • Policies requiring Board of Trustee approval will then be forwarded to the appropriate Board committee for review; all other policies will be approved by the President.
  • Non-substantive Policy Revisions:  Policy revisions related to grammar, formatting, URL updates, titles of individuals or organizational structure, or other non-substantive changes can be approved using an expedited review process.
    
    Non-substantive policy revisions should be submitted to the Policy Advisory Committee and then forwarded to the President for approval.
     
• STANDARD POLICY FORMAT
  • All College policies should include the following sections. 
    • Policy Administrative Division
    • Policy Number
    • Policy Title
    • Responsible Policy Officer (title only)
    • Policy Summary or Purpose
    • Scope or Entities Affected by the Policy
    • Policy Statement(s) or list of included policies
    • Required Procedures or Forms
    • Effective Date
    • Approval and Revision History
    • Date of Next Scheduled Review
    • Related Policies, Documents & Forms
  • Handbooks and Manuals: If a handbook or manual format is used by the administrative division for groups of policies and procedures, then a written policy governing the handbook or manual should be developed and approved. The policy should include a complete list of included college policies and procedures with related page numbers and should be attached as an appendix at the end of the respective handbook or manual. 
  • Policy Template:  New and revised policies should use the template attached as Appendix A for format and consistency.
     
• POLICY MAINTENANCE AND PERIODIC REVIEW
  Responsible officers must ensure that the division's college policies are current and revised as needed to reflect active practice and procedures. 
  • All college policies shall be reviewed at least every five (5) years from the last date of revision for accuracy and relevance by the Responsible Policy Officer. All new and revised policies should note the next scheduled policy review date.
  • College policies already in effect at the time of approval of this policy should be revised and brought into compliance by beginning of the Fall 2024 semester.

Columbia College Policy Manual

*Please note:  Full text of all college policies and procedures are available for Columbia College faculty, staff, and students via Koala Connection.  If you do not have access to the Policies page on Koala Connection, please contact Joye Hipp in the Office of the President at joyehipp@columbiasc.edu for more information.*

Questions?

Contact Joye Hipp, Office of the President at joyehipp@columbiasc.edu.