Policy on Policies

1. Purpose

University of Florida (“UF”) Policies are designed to support UF’s mission, promote operational efficiency and effectiveness, reduce institutional risk, ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and uphold ethical standards, integrity, and accountability. This Policy outlines the required process for developing, approving, revising, and rescinding UF Policies and must be followed for any directive that meets the definition of a UF Policy.

2. Applicability

This Policy applies to UF, its Direct Support Organizations (DSOs), and affiliated legal entities when developing UF Policies.

This Policy does not apply to:

• Internal or local policies developed by colleges, departments, operating units, DSOs, or affiliated legal entities that apply solely within their own operations.
• Policies or other directives subject to direct approval by the UF Board of Trustees and published on the UF Board of Trustees website.

3. Definitions

1. Administrative Revision means changes to an existing UF Policy that are minor and do not alter its meaning or scope. Examples include changes in department names, individual titles, corrections of broken links, and formatting issues.
2. College/Unit Policies mean internal or local policies developed by colleges, departments, operating units, DSOs, or affiliated legal entities that apply solely within their own operations. College/Unit Policies are not subject to a formal development process. Unless prohibited by a UF Policy or by UF leadership, College/Unit Policies may be more restrictive than UF Regulations or Policies. However, College/Unit Policies may not contradict, undermine, or relax the standards of UF Regulations or Policies.
3. Interim Policy means a policy that is created or substantively revised outside of the standard policy development process because of regulatory, accreditation, or other urgent needs.
4. Non-discretionary Revision means amendments to an existing UF Policy that are required to comply with applicable federal or state laws, regulations, or binding legal decisions. These changes are mandatory, not subject to institutional discretion, and are necessary to maintain compliance.
5. Policy Liaison means the individual selected by the applicable Responsible Office who has primary responsibility for coordinating the policy development process and serving as the point of contact for the University Policy Group.
6. Responsible Executive means the individual who exercises oversight of and maintains ultimate responsibility for a UF Policy. Responsible Executives include only the President, Provost, Vice Presidents, and Chief Compliance Officer. A UF Policy may have more than one Responsible Executive.
7. Responsible Office means the office, unit, or division designated by the applicable Responsible Executive(s) to develop and administer a UF Policy, communicate with and train the UF community in its requirements, and maintain the accuracy of its content. A UF Policy may have more than one Responsible Office.
8. Substantive Revision means changes to a UF Policy that alter its meaning or scope. Examples include modifying the policy statement, requirements, scope, applicability, or responsibilities, as well as the Responsible Office or Responsible Executive.
9. UF Regulation and Policy Hub means the interactive web-based system through which UF publishes current versions of UF Regulations and UF Policies, maintains archived UF Regulations and UF Policies, posts interim UF Regulations and UF Policies, allows users to search current UF Regulations and UF Policies, and allows users to submit comments or questions.
10. UF Policy means an official UF directive that establishes standards of organizational and individual conduct in compliance with applicable laws and regulations and is deemed necessary or appropriate by UF leadership. UF Policies have broad applicability across the UF enterprise, encompassing multiple colleges, departments, or units (as opposed to College/Unit Policies), and all faculty, staff, students, volunteers, vendors, visitors, and other applicable personnel must comply with all relevant UF Policies. A UF Policy may expand on, but may not conflict with, a UF Regulation.
11. University Policy Group (UPG) means designated staff from UF Compliance and Ethics and the Office of General Counsel charged with defining, implementing, and overseeing the UF Policy development process and maintaining a central repository of UF Policies and UF Regulations.
12. UF Policy Template means a standard format for drafting UF Policies that is created and maintained by the UPG.
13. UF Regulation means an official directive of general applicability that is required by federal or state law, by Board of Governors regulations, or is otherwise deemed necessary or appropriate by the UF Board of Trustees. UF Regulations provide the broader framework under which UF Policies may be created. UF Regulations must be approved by the UF Board of Trustees.

4. Policy Statement

UF follows a standardized UF Policy development, review, and approval process, as detailed in this Policy. UF’s official repository for UF Regulations and UF Policies is the UF Regulation and Policy Hub. Other resources or websites referencing UF Regulations or UF Policies must link to the UF Regulation and Policy Hub and may not independently publish or republish UF Regulations or UF Policies. Unless otherwise provided for in this Policy, all UF Policies must be:

• Communicated effectively, easily comprehended and accessible, and internally consistent.
• Drafted using the UF Policy Template.
• Developed with input from key stakeholders, including, where appropriate, the Faculty Senate, Presidential Advisory Councils or Committees, and the President’s Cabinet.
• Coordinated at the executive level, including review by the President’s Cabinet to ensure institutional alignment prior to approval.
• Vetted by the UPG through legal and compliance review.
• Published in a draft state for fourteen (14) days to solicit and receive comments from the UF community.
• Approved by the applicable Responsible Executive(s).
• Published and maintained on the UF Regulation and Policy Hub; and
• Reviewed regularly and kept current.

4.1. New UF Policies and Substantive Revisions to UF Policies

The process for creating new UF Policies and making Substantive Revisions to existing UF Policies includes the following steps and responsibilities:

4.1.1. The Responsible Executive will:

1. Charge a Responsible Office to develop and administer the UF Policy, communicate with and train the UF community in its requirements, and maintain its content.
2. Maintain oversight of the UF Policy’s development, implementation, enforcement, and effectiveness.
3. Certify that the President’s Cabinet has had an opportunity to review the draft UF Policy or Substantive Revision and that any Cabinet-level feedback has been addressed.
4. Provide approval for the new UF Policy or Substantive Revision.

4.1.2. The Responsible Office will:

1. Identify a Policy Liaison to facilitate the UF Policy development process.
2. Submit the Policy Intake Form to the UPG to initiate the policy development process and prompt scheduling of the required UPG consultation meeting for a new UF Policy or Substantive Revision.
3. Participate in a policy consultation meeting with the UPG to establish a drafting plan.
4. Draft the UF Policy in coordination with all relevant stakeholders and the UPG.
5. In coordination with the UPG, liaise with the Faculty Senate, including any relevant committees, if applicable.
6. Format the policy using the UF Policy Template.
7. Obtain the Responsible Executive’s final approval for the UF Policy.
8. Submit the draft policy and Policy Approval Form to the UPG.
9. Review and incorporate into the UF Policy, as applicable and appropriate, any comments received during the fourteen (14) day comment period.
10. Review and update the UF Policy, as necessary, at least every three (3) years or as otherwise directed by the Responsible Executive or UPG.
11. Answer relevant questions concerning the UF Policy, both during its development and after its publication.

4.1.3. The UPG will:

1. Provide current UF Policy development procedures, forms, and templates.
2. Review submitted Policy Intake Forms and schedule subsequent policy consultation meeting(s).
3. Provide compliance, legal, and drafting guidance during the initial consultation meeting and throughout the drafting process.
4. Provide final compliance and legal review for submitted draft UF Policies.
5. Publish UF Policies on the UF Regulation and Policy Hub for the open comment period.
6. In coordination with the Policy Liaison, liaise with the Faculty Senate, including any relevant committees, if applicable.
7. Collate and provide received comments to the Policy Liaison.
8. Publish approved UF Policies on the UF Regulation and Policy Hub.
9. Notify the Responsible Office when the UF Policy is due for review.

4.2. Interim Policies

The Interim Policy development process provides a streamlined approach to publishing UF Policies that have urgent regulatory, accreditation, or other critical needs. An Interim Policy must be approved by the applicable Responsible Executive and UPG and has full authority during its interim status. If an Interim Policy will remain in effect beyond six (6) months from the effective date, it must be approved as a permanent UF Policy through the standard UF Policy development process or receive the UPG’s approval for an extension of the interim status.

To create an Interim Policy the following steps are required:

1. The Responsible Executive will charge a Responsible Office to develop and administer the Interim Policy and maintain the accuracy of its content.
2. The Responsible Office will notify the UPG of the need for the Interim Policy.
3. The Responsible Office will draft the Interim Policy using the UF Policy Template.
4. The Responsible Office will obtain stakeholder feedback, if possible under the circumstances.
5. The Responsible Executive will approve the draft Interim Policy.
6. The Responsible Office will submit the Policy Approval Form and draft Interim Policy to the UPG.
7. The UPG will conduct a compliance and legal review and authorize the Interim Policy for publication.
8. The Responsible Executive and Responsible Office will communicate with and train the UF community on the policy requirements.
9. The UPG will publish the approved Interim Policy on the UF Regulation and Policy Hub.

4.3. Administrative Revisions

The Responsible Office may request an Administrative Revision to a UF Policy at any time. To initiate the request, the Policy Liaison must submit the proposed revision and the Administrative Revisions Form to the UPG. The UPG will review and, if approved, publish the revised version of the UF Policy on the UF Regulation and Policy Hub.

4.4. Non-discretionary Revisions

The Responsible Office may request a Non-discretionary Revision to a UF Policy at any time. To initiate the request, the Responsible Office must contact the UPG immediately with the proposed revision and submit an Administrative Revisions Form with the non-discretionary option selected. The UPG will review the submission and, if approved, publish the revised UF Policy on the UF Regulation and Policy Hub. These revisions are limited to updates necessary to bring UF Policies into compliance with applicable laws, regulations, or other legal authorities. The UF Policy revision history will document the nature and date of any Non-discretionary Revision(s).

4.5. Rescinding UF Policies

When a Responsible Executive determines that a UF Policy is no longer needed or appropriate, the Policy Liaison may submit the Administrative Revisions Form to the UPG and request that the UF Policy be rescinded. The UPG will review the request and, if approved, remove the UF Policy from the current policies section of the UF Regulation and Policy Hub. The Responsible Office must communicate the change to stakeholders and the UF community.

5. References and Related Information

UF Regulation and Policy Hub: UF Regulations and UF Policies, as well as supplemental procedures and guidance on the UF Policy development process, are located at www.policy.ufl.edu.

History