CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE | QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PLAN | REFERENCE ROOM

A-Z Index | Search | Contact | Home

[Compliance Report Index] [Core Requirements] [Comprehensive Standards] [Federal Requirements]

Core Requirement - 3.2.6

There is a clear and appropriate distinction, in writing and practice, between the policy-making functions of the governing board and the responsibility of the administration and faculty to administer and implement policy.

Tennessee resides with the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), as established through state law, TBR Bylaws, and TBR policies.

Board policy governs institutional policies. TBR Board Bylaws [1] and TBR Policy, "Duties of the Board" [2], specify several areas where the Board must establish policy:

"To approve the operating and capital budgets of each institution and school and otherwise set policies for their fiscal affairs."

"To establish policies and regulation regarding the campus life of the institutions and schools, including, but not limited to the conduct of students, student housing, parking, and safety."

"To assume general responsibility for the operations of the institutions and schools…"

The Board establishes comprehensive System policies to guide all institutions in many areas. These policies and guidelines are published on the "Policies and Guidelines" link found on the TBR website (www.tbr.state.tn.us). [3]

Academic Policies and Guidelines

Business and Finance Policies and Guidelines

Governance and Organization Policies and Guidelines

Personnel Policies and Guidelines

Student Policies and Guidelines

TBR policies are approved by the actual Board itself. TBR guidelines, which provide direction on how policies should be implemented, are generated by and approved through System councils (such as the Council of Presidents) and sub-councils (such as the Academic Affairs Sub-Council).

All new and revised system policies of the Board are distributed to TBR institutions through the presidents of member institutions according to the "Communication of Board Actions and Policies" [4]:

"Following meetings of the Board of Regents, the staff of the TBR Central Office shall promptly distribute a copy of all new and revised System policies and guidelines approved by the Board to the persons and organizations listed below. As practicable, distribution shall be made by electronic mail.

Institution Presidents and Directors
Board Members (policies only)
Tennessee State Library and Archives
State Comptroller’s Office
Tennessee Legislative Library
Tennessee State Employee’s Association

Central Office staff shall also maintain up-to-date copies of all System policies and procedures on the TBR website

Minutes of each meeting of the Board of Regents shall be prepared at the direction of the Board Secretary, and approved by the Board at the following meeting. Once approved, the minutes shall be posted to the TBR website by Central Office personnel."

Examples of recent policy decisions made at the June 2003 Board meeting are:

• Agenda Item – the consideration for approval from the Board and THEC for several new academic and/or doctoral degree programs at TBR universities and community colleges. The programs were approved and a listing is attached to the official copy of the minutes.

• Agenda Item – proposed revisions to TBR – Purchasing Policies and Procedures. [5] After discussion, all proposed revisions to the policy were approved. A copy of the revisions is attached to the official Board minutes.

Administration and implementation of TBR policy rests with the institutional president who is "responsible to the Board through the Chancellor for the operation and management of the institution and for the execution of all directives of the Board and of the Chancellor [6]."

In practice at Southwest, college policies are modeled after TBR policies and are adapted to Southwest’s mission and scope of services to guide the operation of the college. Southwest’s policies are available to all college departments through the "Policy Manual" link on the college’s internal web site (http://internal.southwest.tn.edu ). [7] These policies are organized in five sections similar to those of TBR:

Section 1–Governance and General College Policies
Section 2–Academic Policies
Section 3–Student Policies
Section 4–Finance & Business Policies
Section 5–Personnel Policies

In all cases, Board policies have precedence over institutional policies.