I. Definitions

Policy: A policy is a statement of philosophy and direction, established to provide guidance and support to the university community in pursuing the university’s mission.

A university policy:  

• - is a governing principle that either mandates or constrains actions;
• - defines expectations and standards;
• - has institution-wide application;
• - helps ensure compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations;
• - reduces institutional risk;
• - changes infrequently and sets a course for the foreseeable future;
• - is approved at the executive level of the university (President, Provost, Vice Presidents) and sometimes also by the Board of Trustees;
• - is archived in the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA).

Procedure: A procedure is a guideline or series of interrelated steps taken to help implement a policy.

The procedure should:

• - be written in a format that is easy to follow, using numbers or bullets to delineate steps;
• - identify and link to the applicable university policy (through a related document);
• - be reviewed and updated as necessary to ensure alignment with the most recent revision to the policy and reflect input from the respective Responsible Executive and stakeholders.

Metadata: Policy-related data documented in the policies database which includes:

• Approving Body: The Executive Team of the university (President, Provost, Vice Presidents), and sometimes the Board of Trustees;
• The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA):OIRA is responsible for the Policy Library, serves as the custodian of all prior versions of archived policies, updates the AUA policy webpage, communicates approved policies to the community, and monitors the Policy Review Periods  outlined in each policy;
• The Executive Team:This entity endorses policy proposal for development or review;
• Policy Initiator: The Policy Initiator is any faculty, staff member, or student who identifies a university-level issue and develops it into a policy (revision) proposal;
• Responsible Executive: The Responsible Executive is the appropriate university officer (President, Provost, Vice Presidents) whose jurisdiction covers the subject matter of the policy. The Responsible Executive oversees compliance with the Policy Revision Process;
• Responsible Office:The AUA unit head, designated by the Responsible Executive to develop and administer a policy, communicates with and trains the university community on the new policy or existing revision’s respective implications. The Responsible Office is responsible for compliance with active policies under the respective AUA unit;
• Stakeholders: Stakeholders are university community members who are affected by the university policy being developed. Typically, stakeholders’ input is sought in the process of preparation and/or review of the policy;
• Presidential Decree (also referred to as an Executive Order): Policies issued by the university’s President that may relate to any of the categories noted in Section V(D).

II. Parties Affected by this Policy

All units of the University

III. Executive Responsible For Policy Implementation

The President

IV. Policy Rationale

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the American University of Armenia engages in transparent policy development and that the AUA community has ready access to well-developed, clearly-written, and understandable university policies. Policies that are clear, concise, and easily accessible will:

1. promote the university’s mission;
2. achieve accountability by identifying the offices responsible for policy adherence;
3. provide faculty, staff, and students with clear and concise guidelines;
4. document the university’s operational procedures.

Policies are clearly distinguished from related procedures according to the definitions provided above. Internal policies that apply to the operations of specific units or programs must not conflict with university-wide policies.

V. Policy Statement

A. Policy Revision and Policy Development

For the procedure on policy revision or policy development, please refer to the Procedure for Policy on Policies in Related Documents.

B. Policy Format

A standard policy format ensures clarity and consistency. Although not all policies will contain all of the format elements, university policies will be written and maintained following the format described below:

1. Header/Footer information (mandatory element):

•        - Page number
•        - Policy category (refer to the list of categories below)
•        - Policy name and policy number
•        - Effective date
•        - Responsible Office for Review

2. Approval process includes dates of initial approval and/or recommendation dates by relevant entities. This information is maintained in the policies database.
3. Definitions (optional element): Meaning and interpretation of terms used in the policy.
4. Scope (mandatory element): Identification of parties governed by the policy.
5. Policy Rationale (optional): Purpose of the policy and the statement of philosophy, position, rule, regulation, or direction.
6. Policy (mandatory element): The actual policy covering topics such as duties assigned to responsible parties, specific information related to the policy subject as needed, and a description of the compliance review process. It should also specify the authority to impose penalties or other remedies in case of noncompliance, if applicable.
7. Related Documents:Other policies referred to in the policy. This section should also include references to procedures and guidelines that need to be followed for policy implementation.

** Note: For AUA policies that predate this policy, the format described above is not applicable. Revisions to any predated policies should be written in the approved policy format.

C. Location of Policies

To ensure ready access to University policies, AUA maintains an official University Policies webpage (https://policies.aua.am/) with the current approved versions of all university policies and links to applicable procedures and other related documents. The webpage will be maintained by OIRA in a standard electronic format and will follow the structure described in Section V(D) below. The documents on the University Policies webpage will constitute the official electronic repository for all university-wide policies, including an archive of previous policies.

To maintain an organized system of managing changes and ensure consistency throughout the University, individual departmental or program websites should not contain separate copies or edited versions of university policies or applicable procedures. Instead, departmental websites that reference university policies and procedures must use hyperlinks to the documents on the official University Policies webpage. This does not preclude departments from maintaining internal departmental policies and procedures on their websites, provided these internal policies and procedures are not identified as official university policies and procedures and do not conflict with official university policies.

D. Structure and Organization of University Policies

The University Policies website will list all policies by name, number, and category, and provide links to related procedures and other relevant documents. Policies will be assigned to one or more of the following categories:

Academic: Policies related to teaching, learning, and outreach at the University, focusing on faculty and students.

Administrative: Policies of a general administrative or operational nature.

Admissions: Policies related to all activities from initial contact with prospective students to the admission of students to the University.

Financial: Policies related to accounting, budgeting, procurement, travel, and other financial functions.

General: Policies covering a range of topics and/or stakeholders broader than a single category.

Human Resources: Policies related to the employment status of faculty and staff.

Information Technology: Policies covering information technology systems, access, and related issues.

Institutional Advancement: Policies governing the university’s external and internal communications, as well as public and donor relations.

Library: Policies related to the operation of the university library.