Policy Compliance Process
DU-01, Official University Policies streamlines the creation and revision of all new and revised Official University Policies through a detailed, step-by-step Policy Compliance Process that includes a standardized timeline for policy reviews and approvals, increased community engagement through a stakeholder engagement framework, Policy Council and public comment period, and centralized policy management.
This page outlines the process you should follow when working on any new or revised Official University Policies, or when seeking to decommission an existing Official University Policy. Consult the Keywords and Definitions page for helpful definitions, and please contact the Director of Policy Compliance at policy@drexel.edu with any questions.
If you are proposing a new or revised Official University Policy, please follow these steps:
Step 1: Sponsoring Unit and Key Stakeholder Collaboration
Responsible Parties: Sponsoring Unit (SU), Affected Units (AU), Office of General Counsel (OGC)
Process:
- The Proposed Policy is drafted using the Policy Template.
- The Sponsoring Unit consults with OGC (OGCRMcontracts@drexel.edu) to ensure Policy Compliance.
- The Sponsoring Unit collaborates with the Faculty Senate (senate@drexel.edu) and AU to gain buy-in.
- The Sponsoring Unit submits the following documents to policy@drexel.edu:
- Intake Form [PDF]
- Communication Plan [PDF]
- Proposed Policy (No Track Changes)
- Original Policy (Track Changes - Redlined)
- Summary of Policy Changes
The Director of Policy Compliance (DPC) logs the Proposed Policy and ensures its review.
Timeline: Not Tracked
Step 2: Office of General Counsel (OGC) First Review
Responsible Parties: SU, DPC, OGC
Process:
- DPC ensures the OGC completes an initial legal review.
- OGC reviews for duplications and compliance (two weeks).
- SU reconciles Policy based on OGC feedback (two weeks).
Timeline: Four Weeks
Step 3: Sponsoring Unit Prepares Policy for Stakeholder Engagement
Responsible Parties: SU, DPC
Process: SU reviews and finalizes the draft for stakeholder engagement and sends the reconciled documents to DPC.
Timeline: Two Weeks
Step 4: Stakeholder Review Process
Responsible Parties: SU, Academic Council (AC), Faculty Senate (FS), Policy Council (PC), DPC
Process:
- First Review: Stakeholders (AC, FS, FS) review the Proposed Policy (six weeks).
- Reconciliation: SU reconciles feedback from Stakeholders (two weeks).
- Second Review: Stakeholders review revised Policy (six weeks).
- Final Reconciliation: Sponsoring Unit reconciles feedback (two weeks).
- DPC sets up the Public Comment Period (two weeks).
- Public Comment Period opens (30 days).
- Policy Council reviews public comments (one week).
- Sponsoring Unit reconciles public comments (one week).
Timeline: 24 Weeks
Step 5: OGC Second Review
Responsible Parties: SU, OGC, DPC
Process:
- Sponsoring Unit submits final policy draft to OGC.
- OGC ensures legal compliance (2 Weeks).
- Sponsoring Unit reconciles policy (2 Weeks).
Timeline: Four Weeks
Step 6: Cabinet and Presidential Review
Responsible Parties: DPC, President’s Cabinet, SU
Process:
- DPC sets up the voting survey for Cabinet and President.
- Cabinet reviews and recommendations (1 Week).
- The President reviews and approves policy (1 Week).
Timeline: Two Weeks
Step 7: Implementation of the Communication Plan
Responsible Parties: SU, DPC
Process:
- Approved Official University Policy is published in the SharePoint Policy Directory.
- The Communication Plan is implemented.
Timeline: One Week
Step One: Sponsoring Unit and Key Stakeholder Collaboration
The Sponsoring Unit notifies key stakeholders of the intention to revise or create an Official University Policy:
- Faculty Senate (senate@drexel.edu)
- Office of General Counsel (OGC)
- Affected Units
- Office of Policy Compliance (policy@drexel.edu)
- The Sponsoring Unit collaborates with OGC, Faculty Senate, and Affected Units to review the need for expedited processing and initial Policy considerations.
Timeline: No fixed timeline (varies by complexity and stakeholder feedback).
Step Two: Statement of Intent to Expedited Submission
The Sponsoring Unit submits the following documentation to the Director of Policy Compliance Services (DPC):
- Intake Form [PDF]
- Communication Plan [PDF]
- Proposed Policy (No Track Changes)
- Original Policy (Track Changes - Redlined)
- Summary of Policy Changes
The DPC begins the review process by initiating the following actions:
- Shares the with Faculty Senate and requests feedback within one week
Timeline: Approximately one week
Step 3: Policy Council Review
The DPC presents the justification for an Expedited Review to the Policy Council.
- The Policy Council reviews the documentation and determines whether the Policy qualifies for Expedited Review.
- The Policy Council provides a recommendation.
Criteria for Expedited Review
The Drexel Policy Council may approve a Policy for expedited review ONLY under the following circumstances:
- The Policy addresses changes in laws or legal requirements.
- The Policy is needed to resolve non-compliance with legal, regulatory, or enforcement mandates.
- There is insufficient time to complete the full Policy review process due to urgency.
Timeline: One Week
Step 4: OGC Review
Following the Policy Council’s recommendation, the Director of Policy Compliance (DPC) submits the proposal to the Office of General Counsel (OGC). OGC then conducts a thorough legal review to ensure compliance and provides a formal recommendation.
Timeline: Two Weeks
Step 5: Cabinet's Review and Presidential Approval
If OGC approves the proposal, the Director of Policy Compliance (DPC) presents the following to the President’s Cabinet for review:
- Communication Plan [PDF]
- Proposed Policy (No Track Changes)
- Original Policy (Track Changes - Redlined)
- Summary of Policy Changes
The Cabinet evaluates the proposal and provides a recommendation to the President. The President reviews and makes the final decision on Policy approval.
Timeline: Two Weeks
Step 6: Implementation of the Communication Plan
Once approved by the President:
- The DPC:
- Updates the Policy in the Official Policy Directory.
- Marks the Policy as “Interim” (if applicable).
- Archives previous versions in designated systems (e.g., Teams, shared databases).
- The Sponsoring Unit implements the approved communication plan to notify all relevant stakeholders and units of the Policy change.
Timeline: Three Days
To increase community engagement in Drexel’s policy-making process, all proposed Official University Policies undergo a 30-day public comment period before the President’s Cabinet and the President review the final draft.
All students, faculty and professional staff are invited to review and comment on the proposed policies listed on the Public Comment Period SharePoint (Drexel credentials required to view). Follow the links provided on the SharePoint to review the policy drafts and provide your comments via Qualtrics.
Policies Available for Public CommentThe Policy Council will review all comments and determine if modifications are needed. There is no assurance that a policy will be modified based solely on comments, nor will there be an individual response to each comment.
If you have any questions or concerns, email policy@drexel.edu. The open and close dates of public comment periods will be announced on the Public Comment Period SharePoint, the University Events Calendar, and the “It’s Okay to Ask” compliance e-newsletter.
Official University Policies sometimes become outdated, obsolete or superseded by a new policy. In these instances, the policy that is no longer needed must be decommissioned through the following process prescribed by the Official University Policies policy (DU–01).
- The Sponsoring Unit should consult with any Affected Units and the Office of the General Counsel to determine whether decommissioning is warranted.
- If warranted, the Sponsoring Unit must submit a completed Statement of Intent to Decommission an Official University Policy [PDF], including a communication plan, to the Director of Policy Compliance.
- The Director of Policy Compliance presents the proposed decommissioning to the Policy Council for review.
- If the Policy Council recommends decommissioning the policy, the Director of Policy Compliance and the Sponsoring Unit will present the proposal to Cabinet for review and recommendation to the President.
- Upon final approval by the President, the Director of Policy Compliance will handle removing the decommissioned policy from the Policy Directory and archiving it in the appropriate systems, while the Sponsoring Unit will implement the decommissioning communication plan.
Please note: The Office of Compliance, Policy and Privacy Program Services does not serve as the author, proprietor, interpreter or enforcer of the University’s policies. Instead, it aids Sponsoring Units in developing, reviewing or revising policies. The Office of Compliance, Policy, and Privacy Program Services offers editorial services and secondary support for crafting policy language but explicitly clarifies that it is not, and should not be perceived as, the subject matter expert. While it is inappropriate for the Office of Compliance, Policy and Privacy Program Services to assume the role of subject matter expert, the Director of Policy Compliance must attain foundational knowledge and familiarity with the relevant policy topics.