Policies & Procedures

Here, you will find policies that are specific to our division and may not necessarily apply to the entire institution. These policies have been carefully tailored to address the unique needs and challenges faced within our division. Insitution-wide policies can be found using the provided link.

 

Institutional Policies

About Divisional Policies

Pursuant to Section 6.0 of the College of Charleston's Campus Wide Policy Formation Procedures, the following outlines the creation, revision, publication, and deactivation of divisional and individual school and unit policies in Academic Affairs:

The College of Charleston's Campus Wide Policy Formation Procedures document has been posted since 2010 at the policy website. The current version of the Procedures, like the earlier versions, provides for divisional policies at Section 6.0:

Schools and administrative units are expected to implement College-wide Policies. These entities may also promulgate their own internal "School" or "Unit" policies, provided that those policies are not inconsistent with College-wide Policies. In the event of a conflict, the College-wide policy shall control.

Consistent with the Campus Wide Policy Formation Procedures, the Academic Affairs Division currently publishes all divisional policies on its website. At the same site, the Academic Affairs Division also publishes procedures related to College-wide Policies, the Faculty/Administration Manual, and to divisional policies.

The published authority in the Academic Affairs Division for the issuance of divisional policies dates to the Divisional Policy on "Academic Affairs Operating Policy Formation," which was first distributed on April 14, 1995. That policy, and the other divisional policies issued in 1995 as the Academic Affairs Policy Manual (and also known as the General Policy Manual), shall now be considered obsolete, deactivated, and withdrawn.

The format for the publication of divisional policies was announced in the 1995 Academic Affairs Policy Manual. Effective on the present date, an updated version of this format shall be used for the publication of new or revised divisional policies in the Academic Affairs Division. The template for divisional policies is available upon request from the Office of the Provost. Approved divisional policies, when published prior to August 1, 2016, may continue to appear in earlier policy formats.

The following procedures are now controlling for the creation, revision, publication, and deactivation of divisional policies for the Academic Affairs Division, or of School or Unit Policies within the Academic Affairs Division:

  1. The Faculty/ Administration Manual contains statements of institutional policy. In the event of a conflict between the Faculty/ Administration Manual and a divisional policy or policies, the Faculty/ Administration Manual shall control.
  2. The current Undergraduate Catalog and the current Graduate Catalog contain statements of institutional policy. In the event of a conflict between a current catalog and a divisional policy or policies, the current catalog shall control.
  3. Divisional policy proposals for the Academic Affairs Division may originate with the Provost, a member of Academic Council, the Speaker of the Faculty, or the Chair of a Standing Senate Committee or a Standing College Committee.
  4. Divisional policies may provide additional information or clarification regarding policy statements published in the Faculty/ Administration Manual. Divisional policies may also address topics not included in the Faculty/ Administration Manual.
  5. Divisional policies differ greatly in scope, subject matter, and significance for the activities of the division. A reasonable effort shall be made to consult with the affected academic administrators, faculty representatives, staff, and/ or students prior to the issuance of any new or revised policy. Nothing about this consultative principle, however, shall prevent the President or the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (hereafter, "Provost") from approving policies on an interim or emergency basis.
  6. New or substantively revised divisional policies, once approved, shall be provided to the members of the Academic Council and, as appropriate, other employees and students of the Academic Affairs Division. Revision of obsolete position titles in divisional policies will not require notification of the Academic Council.
  7. The decision of the Provost in all matters relevant to divisional policy and to policies published by any School or Unit within the Academic Affairs Division shall be final. Conflicts involving policies published within the Academic Affairs Division shall be resolved by the Provost.
  8. No new or revised divisional policy in the Academic Affairs Division shall take effect without the express written permission of the Provost.
  9. Subject to the review and determination of the Provost, policies concerning an individual Academic Program, Department, School, or Office may be approved by the responsible Dean, Department Chair, Program Director, or academic administrator with the word "President" in his or her position title. However, the Provost may direct or the Faculty/ Administration Manual may provide that certain Academic Program, Department, School, or Office policies must be approved by the Provost. For Academic Programs or Departments reporting to a Dean, the Dean may place restrictions on the ability of those Academic Programs or Departments to promulgate policies.
  10. Subject to the review and determination of the Provost, policies concerning the Office of the Registrar may be initiated by the Registrar and approved by the Provost's designee.
  11. If an individual Academic Program, Department, School, or Office policy conflicts with a policy promulgated by the Office of the Registrar, the Office of the Registrar policy shall control.
  12. If an individual Graduate Program policy conflicts with a policy promulgated by the Graduate School of the University of Charleston, South Carolina, the Graduate School policy shall control.
  13. In the event of a conflict between a divisional policy and a policy promulgated by an individual Academic Program, Department, School, or Office, the divisional policy shall control.
  14. No Academic Program, Department, School, or Office policy may regulate the activities of an office not supervised by (or in the supervisorial chain of) the administrator approving the relevant policy, and no individual Academic Program, Department, School, or Office policy may override a policy of another division or office (e.g., Business Affairs, Human Resources, Information Technology).
  15. Policies published within the Academic Affairs Division should be periodically reviewed for relevance and accuracy. Obsolete policies should be revised or withdrawn. Obsolete policies should be removed from College websites. Because policies have long-term consequences for institutional management and must be carefully drafted and maintained to avoid undesirable consequences, the senior leadership of the Academic Affairs Division should examine other alternatives prior to the creation of new policies.