Policy Approval Process - P&P

Policies in Policies & Procedures are reviewed periodically to make minor changes or updates to a policy, to determine whether a policy should be updated more substantively, and to determine whether there should be a new policy.

Approval Process for Changes to Policies & Procedures

Depending on the extent of the changes to a policy, one of the following processes will apply:

Staff Approval

Minor changes to existing policies in Policies & Procedures may be approved by designated senior staff members in the President’s Office, Provost’s Office, Office of the General Counsel, and Human Resources. Examples include changes to office names, position titles, or minor changes required by law. 

Subcommittee Approval

Policy changes that are limited in scope or may only affect one area or office at MIT may be approved using a streamlined process:

  1. Senior staff members in the President’s Office, Provost’s Office, Office of the General Counsel, and Human Resources review the changes and determine that a streamlined approval is appropriate.
  2. If the policy change could affect faculty, the Chair of the Faculty must agree to the streamlined approval process.
  3. A subcommittee of Academic Council approves both the use of the streamlined process and the changes to the policy at issue.  The subcommittee includes:
    1. The Academic Council member whose area is most affected
    2. The Vice President and General Counsel
    3. At least two other Academic Council members

All Academic Council members will be informed of any policy changes approved by the subcommittee before the change is finalized, and any member may request that the change be discussed at Academic Council.

Academic Council Approval

All other substantive changes to existing policies or the creation of a new policy in Policies & Procedures must be approved by Academic Council.

Update History

The Policies & Procedures Update History is available here.