This policy is to ensure all University-wide policies and procedures extend the mission of the institution, are inclusive, are disseminated in accordance with a standardized process with the engagement of appropriate institutional stakeholders and are made widely accessible to the University community.
- Adoption, Revision, and Review Dates — The Adoption Date is when the policy has been initially approved and is in effect, pursuant to the Campus Policy Development and Life Cycle Process outlined in this policy, and should be noted at the top of the first page of each policy document. The Revision Date is when the policy was last revised and should be noted below the Adoption Date, as well as within the History section at the end of the policy document with a description of the revision. The Review Date is when the policy was last reviewed and should be noted below the Revision Date.
- Compliance — Policies concerning appropriate conduct and/or compliance with the applicable with SUNY policies and state and federal law.
- Consensus -- The collective agreement with a proposed policy that results from the consultation process.
- Consultation -- The deliberative engagement process with stakeholders of a proposal that allows for their input on proposed policy.
- Consultation group -- The identified stakeholders associated with a proposal. Generally, they are those who will be impacted by the approved proposal.
- Host Vice President --The Vice President(s) whose area will be impacted by the proposed or updated policy. In the consultation process, they are responsible for approving the sponsor’s effort to engage the proposed policy in a consultation process, submitting the vetted version of the policy proposal to the PMOC and Cabinet, submitting the final draft to the President for approval, and for uploading approved policy to centralized policy repository.
- Sponsor — Developer of a particular policy, who is also responsible for shepherding the policy through the consultation process. The sponsor must be a stakeholder member of the group affected by the new policy.
- Policy — A statement of management philosophy and direction, established to provide guidance and assistance to the University community in the conduct of its affairs.
- A university policy:
- Has broad application throughout the institution
- Helps ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, promotes operational efficiencies, supports the institution's mission and reduces institutional risks
- Determines actions and constraints
- Includes specific procedures required for compliance
- Requires PMOC review for process, and
- Requires the university president’s approval
- A step for policy issuance and major revisions
- A school, department, office or unit policy (a policy that does not meet all of the above criteria):
- Unit based policies are developed under the authority of the unit’s Responsible Cabinet Member.
- A unit policy must comply with all laws, the university and SUNY System policies and requirements, and collective bargaining agreements.
- The responsible cabinet member should work with the Chief of Staff when developing a unit policy.
- Unit policies must receive presidential approval.
- Unit policies must be placed in the centralized policy repository.
- A university policy:
- Policy Management Oversight Committee (PMOC) -- The University body that oversees the administrative policy development and review process. The PMOC monitors the review of policies for adherence to the outlined policy development process, ensuring proper uploading and placement of policies within the centralized policy repository, and notification of policies to the campus community.
- Policy Proposal Form — A preliminary assessment document to assist the PMOC in determining the University's need for the proposed policy. If denied, the Policy proposal Form, with reason for denial, will be archived.
- Policy Procedures / Guidelines — Established methods and requirements for the implementation of a policy.
- Policy Review Team – A subset of the PMOC with members assigned from the PMOC and other key areas of the institution, if needed, that manages the review and revision of previously approved policies.
- Policy Statement — A brief statement on the front page of each University Policy document that explains the purpose and core provisions of the policy.
- Responsible Cabinet Member — The Cabinet Member of the division or area in which unit-based policies apply. They approve the effort to create/update new policies that apply to their unit (i.e. school deans, vice presidents, Bursar, Registrar, Student Health Center), submit proposed policies to the PMOC for review (adherence to process), and submit proposal to Cabinet and President for review and approval. The Responsible Cabinet Member is responsible for maintaining up-to-date policies for their division or area.
- Stakeholders — The University subject matter experts (could include external subject matter experts), SUNY legal counsel, and those impacted by the proposed policy.
- Unit Policy Documentation Designee — Administrative Assistants to the Responsible Cabinet Members, who are accountable for assisting in posting and communicating approved policies, monitoring and facilitating reviews of policies on a three-year cycle for their unit
SUNY Old Westbury policies have broad application throughout the campus and significant impact to the University if not followed. They may be developed by a department or unit or campus administration in order to express basic values of the University, ensure coordinated compliance with applicable laws and regulations, promote operational efficiencies, enhance the University's mission, and/or reduce institutional risk.
University Policies and proposals are to be developed, formatted, approved, issued and maintained in a consistent manner, with the engagement of appropriate University stakeholders, and be made available online to the broader University community in order to enhance compliance and advancement of our mission.
The University's policy development and review process is managed by its Policy Management Oversight Committee.
Policies that are easy to find, read and understand will:
- Support the University's mission;
- Be compliant with all university policies, local, state and federal laws, and SUNY System guidelines;
- Reflect best practices within higher education;
- Achieve accountability by identifying the units responsible for policies;
- Provide students, faculty and staff with clear, concise guidelines for meeting policy requirements; and
- Document how the institution conducts business.
SUNY Old Westbury policies will be:
- Presented in a common format;
- Named consistently;
- Well-articulated and understandable;
- Formally approved;
- Maintained centrally and accessible to all interested parties;
- Linked electronically to procedures for implementing the policy, where appropriate;
- Shared with the campus community for a 30 calendar day review period when new or revised policies are developed; or significantly revised???
- Reviewed regularly and kept current. Changes will be regularly updated on the campus website.
Internal policies that apply to the operations of individual units or departments may not conflict with University-wide policy but may be more restrictive if approved through the review process described in this policy.
The University leadership reserves the right to amend or revoke its policies at any time. Generally, amending or revocation should be done in accordance with their statutory responsibilities.
Policy Development Process
- Precipitating factor: A need arises for a new or revised policy or proposed action.
- Sponsor secures a host vice president’s approval to engage the draft proposal into consultation with consultation group.
- Consultation involves:
- sharing the proposal, its rationale, pros and cons and its impact, with all consultation group members;
- garnering their response and input on the proposal;
- incorporating the consultation groups’ feedback into a redrafted proposal;
- sharing the redrafted proposal with all consultation group members; and securing approval of the redrafted proposal from each consultation group. (This collective approval is consensus)
- Sponsor submits redrafted proposal, with report on the consultation process, to host vice president.
- Host vice president reviews proposal and submits it to PMOC, Cabinet (including president) and SUNY Office of General Council (OGC) (if necessary) for review and input.
- PMOC reviews policy for compliance to process, including assigning policy updates to the PRT.
- Cabinet reviews policy for contractual, compliance and statutory concerns, strategic impact, and adherence to the University's mission.
- OGC reviews for compliance with State, Federal, local and SUNY System guidance and contracts
- The host vice president provides the sponsor with the input from the review.
- Sponsor incorporates the input from PMOC, cabinet and OGC into a redraft, and resubmits to host vice president.
- The host vice president reviews and submits the redrafted proposal to the president for approval.
- The president reviews the policy, and barring edits, submits proposal to PMOC for 30-day campus-wide review.
- Following review period (including appropriate edits), president approves, or denies approval with a written public rationale generally within 30 days.
- Approved policies are uploaded to the policy software by the host vice president’s Unit Policy Documentation Designee.
Structure and Organization of Policies
The Policies web page lists all policies by name and category, with links to related procedures. Policies are assigned to one or more of the following categories and are searchable by Category, Topic, Name, Number, Dates, and Key Words (as indicated by the originator of the policy):
- Academic Affairs and Research – Policies that relate to teaching, research and outreach.
- Business and Financial – Policies related to accounting, budgeting, procurement, travel and other financial or business functions.
- Communications – Policies related to campus branding, social media, use of digital signage, etc.
- Conduct/Behavior – Policies, rules and related procedures involving student and employee behavior and conduct.
- Facilities – Policies related to campus construction notifications and inventory control.
- Human Resources – Policies, rules, and related procedures and information impacting working relationships with the University for all employee groups.
- Information Technology – Policies that cover systems, access, data, and related issues.
- Residential Life – Policies applicable to residential life activities and codes.
- Safety/Security – Policies concerning day-to-day campus safety, emergency conditions, and the reporting and investigation of incidents.
- Other – All policies that do not fit the above categories.
Exempt Policies
Certain policies, procedures, or requirements may be exempt from the University's standard policy development, consultation, review, or formatting process when they are established or required by federal or state law, regulation, court order, accreditation requirements, collective bargaining agreements, SUNY Board of Trustees policy, SUNY System Administration requirements, or other binding governmental or external authority.
An exemption may also be granted when the nature or urgency of a policy requires an expedited process to protect the health, safety, rights, or legal interests of members of the University community, or to ensure timely compliance with a legal, regulatory, or SUNY System requirement.
Where an exemption from the standard policy development or review process is necessary, the responsible Cabinet Member or policy sponsor shall document the basis for the exemption and identify the applicable legal, regulatory, accreditation, contractual, or SUNY System authority. The exemption must be reviewed and approved by the University President or designee, in consultation with the Cabinet.
Inconsistent Policies
No schools, departments, offices or units may adopt a policy or procedure that is inconsistent with an official University Policy without the express written approval of the PMOC or the University President. In the event of a conflict, University Policy supersedes.
Periodic Review of University Policies
The Responsible Unit / Responsible Cabinet Member is accountable for keeping the University policies in their area current, and for the performance of periodic reviews at least once every three years, to ensure the University policies in their area comply with and reflect current laws, regulations, and practices. The PMOC will, annually in January, provide each Responsible Cabinet Member and their Administrative Assistant the list of University policies in their purview requiring review during that calendar year (approximately one third of their total policies, and must be the oldest/most outdated).
Revisions to University Policies
University policies are to be revised using the process provided in this document. The PMOC or Responsible Cabinet Member may determine at any time that a University policy needs revision. In cases where the POC makes that determination, it is to provide guidance to the Responsible Cabinet Member regarding necessary changes. If the policy at issue does not have a clear Responsible Cabinet Member, the POC will recommend one.
Withdrawal of University Policies
A University Policy may be withdrawn by the Responsible Cabinet Member or by the PMOC. Such withdrawal must be communicated to, and be approved by, the University President via use of the Policy Withdrawal Request Form.
NOTE (as of September 28, 2026):
MSCHE Working Group Charge – Standard II: Ethics and Integrity
This Working Group is charged with examining Standard II: Ethics and Integrity in the context of SUNY Old Westbury’s mission, institutional priorities, and the 2026–2031 Strategic Plan. The group will analyze evidence, respond to guiding questions, and develop findings and recommendations for inclusion in the Self-Study Report. Question: Are policies and procedures transparent, accessible, and consistently applied across academic and administrative units?