Following the release of the report by Kenneth Wainstein of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol L. Folt announced several initiatives to prevent the recurrence of academic irregularities, including the creation of the Policy and Procedures Working Group.
The Policy and Procedures Working Group helps the University to identify any policy redundancies, gaps and inconsistencies, makes recommendations for policy and procedure improvements and creates a mechanism for periodic reevaluation.
The Working Group has selected EY, a consulting firm with extensive experience working with large, complex organizations, to assist them in recommending a policy and procedure system for the University and piloting that system through the review of several focused areas within the University. EY has extensive experience working with policies in higher education at both the system and institutional levels. The Working Group will further define EY’s scope of work over the coming weeks and will manage the process through its completion.
The Working Group will work closely with EY first to develop recommendations for a policy system to most effectively manage the lifecycle of policies and procedures at the University. The system will include a classification of policies that can be applied across all institutional units, a governance structure for decision-making related to policies, an implementation structure for ensuring policy-related efforts are completed, and a method for policy life cycle management, including policy formation, approval, review and maintenance, communication and decommissioning. Recommendations will be based on best practices in higher education policy management as well as the specific needs of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In addition, the Working Group will be facilitating a comprehensive review of policies and procedures in identified pilot units, including policy governance in the College of Arts and Sciences, Office of the Registrar, coordination of undergraduate academic policies and compliance with accreditation policies. The review will not only provide an analysis of policies and procedures in these critical areas but will also be a model for how the University can continue to review policies and procedures as part of the recommended policy system.
Published August 28, 2015