Western Nevada College Policies

DEFINITIONS

Approval Authority: The College Council is the recommending authority for all additions, revisions, or deletions of policies/procedures, as authorized by the College President and subject to the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents approval.

College Wide: includes information of interest to the entire College community. It is recommended that departmental procedures/policies be placed on departmental web pages.

Originating Division/Department: is the responsible division/department authorized to implement and/or modify the usage of the policy/procedures.

Contact: is the position responsible for maintaining, reviewing, revising, modifying, and answering any inquiries regarding the policy/procedure.

Policies: are broad guidelines that chart a course of action. They tell what is wanted and may include why and how much. A policy has the following characteristics:

• States goals, purposes, and aspirations.
• States how the Board of Regents and the College operate.
• Assigns responsibility or authority to the President.
• Establishes the position of the Board of Regents or the College on a topic of concern.
• Only the Board of Regents and administration have the authority to set policy.
• Answers the questions what and why, rather than how.

Policy Number: is the assigned administrative chapter and sequential number of the Policy/Procedure. The official policy number is assigned by the President's office.

Procedures: provide detailed directions developed by a responsible party/review authority to put policy into practice. They tell how, by whom, where, and when thing are done. A procedure has the following characteristics:

• Sets forth mechanics for implementing policies
• Lists specific do's and don'ts
• Lists required step-by-step instructions
• Answers the question how, rather that what and why

NSHE Code: The Code shall establish the primary organizational structure of the System and the basic personnel policies for its faculty. In institutional bylaws, procedures, and regulations the Code shall prevail.

The Nevada Revised Statutes: The Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) are the actual Laws.

The Nevada Administrative Code: The Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) are Rules and Regulations.

ADDING A NEW POLICY/PROCEDURES (See Policy 1-1-1, Policy and Procedure Development at WNC)

1. A new college wide policy or procedure must be submitted by the contact department.
2. Ensure that all individuals who share responsibility for this policy or procedure have been consulted, including your supervisor.
3. Your policy and procedure needs to include the following:
   1. Policy/Procedure name
   2. Policy/Procedure proposed number
   3. Originating Department
   4. Contact Position
   5. The text of the policy/procedure
   6. References contained within the policy/procedure, e.g., NSHE Board of Regents Code, Board of Regents' Meeting Minutes date, NAC/NRS, and other, etc.
   7. Copies of any referenced forms
4. Format for the policy/procedure must be consistent with the general Policies and Procedures format.
5. Submit electronically the proposed new policy/procedure, including any referenced forms, to the Assistant to the President.

REVISING AN EXISTING POLICY/PROCEDURE

1. Revisions may be submitted only by the originating department.
2. Ensure that all individuals who share responsibility for this policy/procedure have been consulted, including your supervisor.
3. Ensure that your proposed changes are consistent with the format used in the Policies and Procedures Manual.
4. Submit an electronic copy of the original policy/procedure, with your changes marked preferably in red to the Assistant to the President.

DELETING AN EXISTING POLICY/PROCEDURE

1. Deletions must be submitted by the originating department.
2. Ensure that all individuals who share responsibility for this procedure/policy have been consulted, including your supervisor.
3. Identify the policy/procedure to be deleted, and submit a brief statement explaining why the deletion is requested, to the Assistant to the President.

Disclaimer:  This document of policies and procedures serves as an informational service only and should not be relied upon as an official record of action.  For official information, please refer to the NSHE Code, The Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS), and the Nevada Administrative Code (NAC).