On April 25, 2024, President’s Council approved the following policy actions:
Withdrawal from Policy Process
Policy 449 Private Sensitive Information
Policy 451 Retention of Electronic Files
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Christina Baum |
| Policy Steward | Joe Belnap |
| Policy Actions | Deletion |
| President's Council Action | Withdrawal from Process |
These two policies were in the regular policy process for deletion. The policy owners notified President’s Council that they are withdrawing these two policies from the process to reassess what actions they need to take with them.
Entrance to Temporary Process
Policy 153 Religious Accommodations
Policy 601 Classroom Management
| Approval Process | Temporary |
| Policy Sponsor | Marilyn Meyer |
| Policy Stewards | Drew Burke, Jeremy Knee |
| Policy Actions | New, Revision |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 1 |
| Pipeline Draft | Executive Summary, Policy 153, Policy 601 |
Who does this apply to? All employees and students
Why is this policy going through the temporary process? These policies must be in place by May 1 as mandated by state legislature.
What will be included or changed in the policies? For 601, the religious accommodations section will now be addressed in the new Policy 153. Policy 153 will do the following:
- Create a process by which students and employees may request religious accommodation requests. Designate university office responsible to receive and assess student and employee accommodation requests.
- Establish the standards by which requests may be granted or denied, including when an employee request imposes an undue hardship on the University and when a student’s request encroaches on a compelling interest of the University.
Policy 609 Academic Scheduling
| Approval Process | Temporary |
| Policy Sponsor | Wayne Vaught |
| Policy Stewards | Laurie Sharp |
| Policy Actions | New |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 1 |
| Pipeline Draft | Stage 1 Draft |
Who does this apply to? Faculty and staff involved in scheduling facilities for academic use
Why is this policy going through the temporary process? The current policy is in Stage 2 of the regular process, but has now also approved for temporary status to ensure the policy in place for the upcoming academic year.
What will be included in the policy? The revisions to this policy will establish processes allowing semester schedules that
- reinforce UVU's priority initiatives for student success
- promote multidepartment synergy
- contribute to the optimal use of space
- ensure compliance with accreditation standards and government regulations
Entrance to Stage 1
Policy 452 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Christina Baum |
| Policy Stewards | Joe Belnap, Laura Lewis |
| Policy Actions | Revision |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 1 |
| Pipeline Draft | Executive Summary |
Who does this apply to? Employees
What revisions are being made to this policy? The revisions to this policy will update the status and function of the University Accessibility Committee and modify the policy language so it is more readable and accessible.
Now that this policy draft is in Stage 1, what does this mean for me? If you have comments or concerns, email the policy steward or the Policy Office.
Entrance to Stage 3
Policy 208 Outside Vendors/Contracts on Campus
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Val Peterson |
| Policy Stewards | Frank Young |
| Policy Actions | Deletion |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 3 |
| Pipeline Draft | Stage 3 Draft |
Who does this apply to? All employees
Why is this policy being deleted? The content of this policy was covered in the new revision of Policy 210 Independent Contractors and is no longer accurate or needed.
Now that this policy draft is in Stage 3, what does this mean for me? Individuals may submit their comments directly by email to the policy owners. Stage 3 ends May 3.
Policy 209 Contracting with Non-University Employees
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Marilyn Meyer |
| Policy Stewards | Drew Burke |
| Policy Actions | Deletion |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 3 |
| Pipeline Draft | Stage 3 Draft |
Who does this apply to? All employees
Why is this policy being deleted? This policy contained information that was outdated and would be covered in department procedures and Policy 210 Independent Contractors.
Now that this policy draft is in Stage 3, what does this mean for me? Individuals may submit their comments directly by email to the policy owners. Stage 3 ends May 3.
Policy 367 Employee Resource Groups
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Marilyn Meyer |
| Policy Stewards | Rasha Qudisat |
| Policy Actions | New |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 3 |
| Pipeline Draft | Stage 3 Draft |
Who does this apply to? Employees
What does this policy entail? Through this policy, UVU will encourage the formation and ongoing engagement of employee resource groups (ERGs) to promote awareness, respect, and inclusion at the University. An ERG is a voluntary, employee-led group centered on shared identities, experiences, or interests. The University must approve each ERG. University ERGs allow employees to identify and share common identities and interests. The policy lays out the process through which employees can apply for approval to establish an ERG.
Now that this policy draft is in Stage 3, what does this mean for me? Individuals may submit their comments directly by email to the policy owners. Stage 3 ends May 3.
Policy 658 Establishment and Administration of Graduate Programs
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Wayne Vaught |
| Policy Stewards | Kat Brown |
| Policy Actions | Revision |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 3 |
| Pipeline Draft | Stage 3 Draft |
Who does this apply to? Faculty and Students
What revisions are being made to this policy?
At the completion of Stage 2, Office of General Counsel recommended that section
5.3.1.7 be revised from “Select members of the graduate program admission committee
using diversity principles.” to “Select members of the graduate program admission
committee with as varied disciplinary and experiential backgrounds as practicable.” This revision was made.
Limited scope change to this policy addressed (1) an equity issue (in section 5.3.1.7)
and (2) an accreditation issue (in section 4.5.1.2).
Equity Concern: The Equity Assessment Committee recommended adding “Ensure that graduate admissions committees utilize diversity principles when selecting committee members” into Policy 510, which would affect Policy 658. In Policy 658, section 5.3.1.7 states that the elected graduate program committee serves as the graduate program’s admissions committee, which needs to be changed to "utilize diversity principles when selecting graduate admissions committee members."
Accreditation Issue: Policy 658 currently requires graduate program directors to be elected by full-time graduate faculty. When specialized accreditation standards state specific requirements for graduate program directors, the proposed addition would allow a qualified graduate program director to be appointed. Without this proposed addition, graduate faculty could possibly elect a graduate program director who does not satisfy specialized accreditation requirements, which could jeopardize the program’s specialized accreditation. The Graduate Council recommended adding the proposed changes to section 4.5.1.2.
Now that this policy draft is in Stage 3, what does this mean for me? Individuals may submit their comments directly by email to the policy owners. Stage 3 ends May 3.
Entrance to Stage 4
Policy 108 Outside Vendors/Contracts on Campus
Policy 109 Contacting the Office of General Counsel
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Clark Collings |
| Policy Stewards | Jeremy Knee |
| Policy Actions | Deletion |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 4 |
| Pipeline Draft | Policy 108, Policy 109 |
Who does this apply to? Individuals intending to contact the Office of General Counsel or Board of Trustees
Why are these policies being deleted? Most of this information was outdated and referred to governing bodies that no longer exist. Contact information for act the Office of General Counsel is located on their website.
Now that this policy draft is in Stage 4, what does this mean for me? Should you need to get into contact with any of these groups, all the information you would need is now located online on the OGC website.
Policy 510 Graduate Admissions
Policy 524 Graduate Program Credit and Graduation
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Michelle Kearns |
| Policy Stewards | Kyle Hicken, Jim Bailey |
| Policy Actions | Revision |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 4 |
| Pipeline Draft | Policy 510, Policy 524 |
Who does this apply to? Faculty and Students
What is included in these policies? Policy 510 covers the following:
- How to handle criminal background, drug use, and vaccination information that may be asked during the graduate admission process, especially for applicants applying to be clinical students who will work with patients;
- How to handle graduate applicants’ behavioral issues reported by other institutions of higher education;
- TOEFL or IELTS requirement exemptions for student graduating from certain countries where all instruction is conducted in English; and
- Development of graduate admissions criteria for accelerated graduate admissions and combined master’s degree programs.
Policy 524 covers
- Age and usability of earned credits
- Agreements with recognized partner institutions
- Roles of graduate directors and program committees
- Transfer credit details
NOTE: For Policy 510, one revision was made at the end of Stage 3 at the recommendation of Graduate Council.
Now that this policy draft is in Stage 4, what does this mean for me? Once the Board of the Trustees approves this policy for entrance into the Policy Manual, faculty and those engaged in graduate admissions and credits/graduation may wish to become familiar with the policy revisions.
Policy 647 Faculty Grievance
| Approval Process | Regular |
| Policy Sponsor | Wayne Vaught |
| Policy Stewards | Kat Brown |
| Policy Actions | Deletion |
| President's Council Action | Entrance to Stage 4 |
| Pipeline Draft | Stage 4 Draft |
Who does this apply to? Faculty
Why is this policy being deleted? This policy is no longer needed. Most grievances typically fall under other UVU policies, including Policy 326 Workplace Conduct, which was updated last year.
Now that this policy draft is in Stage 4, what does this mean for me? Once the Board of the Trustees approves this policy for entrance into the Policy Manual, faculty may benefit from revisiting Policy 326 to understand the processes involved with any grievances.
Compliance Changes
The following changes are limited-scope changes that must be in place by May 1 and are mandated by recent legislation. Follow the links to see the revised policies in the Policy Manual and explanation of the legal mandates in the executive summaries. For more information about the compliance change policy process, visit the Policy Office website.
Policy 101 Policy on Policies
Policy 162 Title IX Sexual Harassment
Policy 165 Discrimination, Harassment, and Affirmative Action
Policy 333 Background Checks
Policy 361 Employee Leave
Policy 373 Bona Fide Financial Exigency and Human Resources Reduction
Policy 541 Student Code of Conduct
Policy 632 Academic Rank Advancement
Policy 633 Faculty Performance Evaluation and Feedback
Policy 637 Faculty Tenure
Policy 648 Faculty Personnel Reduction
Policy 649 Faculty Sanction and Dismissal for Cause
For questions or comments regarding any of the above actions, contact the policy sponsor or steward(s) listed, or contact the Policy Office. To learn more about the policy approval process at UVU, visit the Policy Office's Policy Process webpage.
Please note that some of the above links may become outdated or broken as the policy drafts progress through the policy approval process, or are approved for adoption to or deletion from the Policy Manual. For the most up-to-date status regarding a policy or proposed policy draft, see the Policy Manual and Policy Approval Pipeline pages. To request a previous version of a policy or policy draft or for addition questions, contact the Policy Office.