About

UF Compliance and Ethics and the Office of General Counsel have charged the University Policy Group (UPG) with defining, implementing, and overseeing the policy development process and maintaining a central repository of University Policies and Regulations. The UPG is here to assist you as you develop new policies and make revisions to existing policies. For general inquiries, please contact us at policy@ufl.edu.

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UNIVERSITY POLICY GROUP (UPG) CHARTER

1. Purpose

The University Policy Group (UPG) is charged with ensuring a consistent, collaborative, and transparent process for the development, approval, publication, revision, and rescission of policies at the University of Florida (UF). The UPG supports UF’s mission by fostering operational efficiency, maintaining compliance with legal and regulatory obligations, and mitigating institutional risk through centralized policy governance. The UPG also provides critical oversight for review and dissemination of UF policies to ensure each is current, clear, relevant, and consistent with other UF policies and regulations.

1. Scope

The scope of the UPG includes the University of Florida. The UPG will collaborate with UF’s Direct Support Organizations and affiliated legal entities, including UF Health, as appropriate to ensure compliance with UF Board of Trustees’ governance standards and policies.

III. Authority

UF Compliance and Ethics and the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel have charged the UPG with administering UF’s official policy development framework, as outlined in UF’s Policy on Policies 8-001. The UPG exists to:

• Define and implement the process by which university policies are developed, reviewed, approved, published, amended, or rescinded;
  • Serve as the final institutional review body for university policies prior to approval;
  • Resolve policy conflicts or redundancies in coordination with appropriate university units;
  • Ensure all draft policies undergo final compliance and legal review prior to publication;

• Ensure UF policies are reviewed at least every three (3) years for compliance, legality, relevance, and consistency; and
  • Maintain and oversee the central repository of all university policies and facilitate publication to the UF Regulation and Policy Hub.
• Membership

The UPG is a standing, permanent group composed of designated staff from the Office of Compliance and Ethics and the Office of General Counsel, as designated in UF’s Policy on Policies 8-001. These core members serve by virtue of their UF roles and professional expertise in compliance and legal matters and are responsible for guiding, reviewing, and facilitating policy development across the university.

Core Members

The following roles constitute the UPG’s permanent membership:

• Policy Coordinator(s): Provides day-to-day expertise and serves as the consistent point of contact for all matters related to policy development, consultation, editing, and review. The Policy Coordinator is involved in all aspects of the policy development and review process and ensures policies are approved and posted in a timely manner.
  • Director, Compliance: Assists the Policy Coordinator in managing the day-to-day functions of overseeing the policy coordination process. Ensures all aspects of the drafting, editing, reviewing, publishing, and approval processes are efficient and effective.
  • Chief Compliance, Ethics, and Privacy Officer (or Designee): Provides compliance oversight, risk mitigation, and process integrity; coordinates institution-wide compliance considerations; performs final compliance review of all policies.
  • Vice President and General Counsel (or Designee): Provides legal oversight, performs final legal review of all policies, and ensures policies are consistent within the university and align with applicable federal and state laws as well as university regulations.
  • Administrative Specialist(s): Supports the UPG in many functions, including providing technical support for UPG operations, including maintenance of the central policy repository, UF Regulation and Policy Hub, reviewing new submissions, organizing the timeline of projects efficiently, and ensuring that new or substantively revised policies are posted for public comment and then in the central repository.

Consultative Participants

In accordance with University Policy 8-001, the UPG develops policies with input from key stakeholders, including, where appropriate, the faculty senate, presidential advisory councils or committees, the President’s cabinet, and other relevant UF units. These consultative participants are not formal members of the UPG but may be invited to provide input on specific policies, participate in review meetings, or serve on working groups. Their involvement ensures that policies are informed by appropriate subject-matter expertise and reflect the operational needs and strategic priorities of UF.

• Responsibilities

The UPG shall carry out the following duties to ensure an efficient, compliant, and transparent policy process:

• Provide and maintain policy procedures, templates, and submission forms;
  • Review and approve forms submitted by responsible offices;
  • Conduct policy consultations to provide compliance, legal, and editorial feedback;
  • Conduct final compliance and legal reviews before policies are posted for comment;
  • Publish draft policies on the UF Regulation and Policy Hub and circulate via UF Regulation and Policy Hub listserv for a minimum 14-day open comment period;
  • Coordinate with policy liaisons and the faculty senate for routing through additional shared governance processes when applicable;
  • Compile and deliver public comments to the responsible office and relevant governance groups;
  • Publish approved policies and archive rescinded policies on the UF Regulation and Policy Hub;
  • Notify responsible offices of upcoming mandatory policy reviews (every three (3) years or as otherwise required); and
  • Provide policy development training and support to UF units.
• Meetings and Operations

The UPG shall meet regularly, with meetings scheduled based on the volume and urgency of policy items. The UPG may invite non-member participants, including subject-matter experts, stakeholders, and governance representatives, to contribute on specific policies

or participate in review discussions. The UPG may also establish sub-groups or task forces to address specific topics, policy domains, or areas requiring focused development or review.

• Reporting

The UPG reports jointly to the Chief Compliance, Ethics, and Privacy Officer and the Vice President and General Counsel, or designees. Annual updates on policy activity, including approved, revised, and rescinded policies–as well as compliance gaps and review deadlines, shall be submitted to these offices.

• Charter Review and Amendment

This Charter shall be reviewed by the UPG at least every three (3) years or sooner if required due to changes in regulatory standards or institutional needs. Any recommended changes shall be submitted to the Office of the President for approval.