Academic Policy Review Committee

Academic Policy Approval Process

Montclair's process for considering edits to an existing academic policy, or a new academic policy is as follows:

Identifying a Policy Need

A policy need is identified. This may be from regular review by the Committee of current policies, or a suggestion from the University community, or a directed request by the Provost or other leadership.

Submit a Recommendation for Review
Initial Review by the Academic Policy Committee

The Academic Policy Committee conducts its initial review, which entails research into other universities’ policies and national best practices, conversations with stakeholders on campus, and review of relevant history on campus.
Drafting and Revising the Policy

The Committee determines whether the policy will be revised by consensus. Drafting, review, and redrafting continues until a new text is ready.
Campus and Leadership Review Process
The draft then goes through three levels of review, with edits to the draft possible after each review:
- The Academic Affairs Council, composed of the Provost, Deans, and other academic leadership.
- An Open Comment period where all faculty and administrators are encouraged to read and comment on the policy drafts.
- The Provost reviews all policies prior to publication.
Academic Policy Review Canvas Community
Final Approval and Implementation

Once policy drafts are fully approved, they are published to the website, and the University community is notified of the changes in effect. Relevant departments and divisions at the University are consulted to begin implementation of any necessary changes to procedures.

Academic Policy Links for Faculty and Staff

Academic Policies at a Glance

Overview of key academic policy areas to better support navigation and understanding across the University.

Academic Policy Review Canvas Community

Details for when Open Comment is available for the University community to review policy drafts can be found here. Once a policy is announced to be in the open comment period, you will find a Module with the proposed text, relevant information (if any), a link to the current text being revised (if applicable), and the discussion board for public comments. Faculty and staff must log in to Canvas using their Montclair NetID and password for viewing access.