[TITLE OF POLICY] - Policy Template - Standard University Policy Sections

Sep 1, 2026

Upload by Jacob

Standard university policy template defining approval authority, responsible office, effective date, and mandatory review cadence. Includes core policy structure covering statement, purpose with regulatory or legal rationale, defined audience, key definitions, and implementation guidance with designated responsible parties and optional procedures document alignment. Covers consequences for non-compliance, related information and links, designated contacts for questions, and policy history and URL entry details for compliance and publication.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatDOCX

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Policy Statement

Purpose

Audience

Definitions

Policy Implementation

Consequences of Violating this Policy

Related Information

Contacts

History

Policy URL

Approving University Official(s): [Senior administrator(s) who approves the policy.] Responsible Office: [Office responsible for the dissemination, update, and review of the policy.] Effective date: [Month, day, and year when policy (or policy revision) goes into effect.] Next review date: [Month, day, and year when initial assessment or next review of the policy is due. New policies or major policy revisions are to be assessed one year from their effective date; thereafter, reviews are to be scheduled at least once every three years.] [TITLE OF POLICY] [If policy document is lengthy (e.g., over 10 pages long), include here hyperlinks to each section of the policy] Policy Statement [Provide a brief statement of the University’s intent regarding the policy’s subject matter and an indication of how broadly the policy applies.] Purpose [Indicate the rationale for the policy, including any legal or regulatory requirements that the policy aims to address.] Audience [Identify the members of the Northwestern community who will be affected by the policy, such as “All members of the Northwestern community” or “All deans, directors, and department heads.”] Definitions [Define any terms used in the policy that have a specialized meaning.] Policy Implementation [Explain the means by which the policy will be carried out, using subheadings where appropriate. Where a particular party or office is responsible for a task, that party or office should be clearly designated. Detailed steps for policy implementation may be developed in a separate procedures document. Procedures need not follow the same steps for approval and adoption that are applicable to policies, but they should be developed in consultation with the Associate Director of Policy Management and the Policy Review Committee.] Consequences of Violating this Policy [List any applicable sanctions for non-compliance, such as disciplinary action of students or employees and/or civil or criminal penalties. If there are no applicable sanctions, delete this section.] Related Information [List (and provide any available hyperlinks to) (i) related policies; (ii) any applicable legal or regulatory information; or (iii) any forms or templates, FAQ documents, or other information related to the policy.] Contacts The following [individual(s)/office(s)] can address questions regarding this Policy: [insert name/office, phone: (847) xxx-xxxx, email:xxxxxxxx@northwestern.edu] History [Indicate whether the policy is a new policy, or whether it supersedes an existing policy. Include the effective date of the original policy as well as the date(s) of any subsequent amendments (if known).] Policy URL: [Compliance, Audit & Advisory Services office to complete if policy is to be listed on the University Policy website. If policy is to be listed on a school, department, or unit website, the URL to the policy (formatted in PDF) should be provided here.]

FAQs

Who approves the university policy and who is responsible for it?

The template identifies approving university official(s) and the responsible office for dissemination, updates, and review.

How often is a policy reviewed after it becomes effective?

New policies or major revisions are assessed one year after the effective date, then reviews are scheduled at least once every three years.

What sections must be included to implement the policy and handle non-compliance?

Implementation details should designate responsible parties and may reference a separate procedures document; the template also requires listing sanctions or deleting the section if none apply.

Sep 1, 2026

Upload by Jacob