1.12 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY POLICY MANUALS

Effective: November 22, 1995

PURPOSE

To establish the authority of the primary and secondary sources of Academic Affairs policies and procedures.

AUTHORITY/SOURCE

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

POLICY

1. PRIMARY MANUALS

"Primary Manuals" are the authoritative repositories of officially approved policies and procedures.  These authoritative repositories serve the University community as sources of information for decision making and operational guidelines.  Primary manuals clearly denote the policies and procedures, approval dates of individual policies, as well as who is responsible for their review, revision and implementation. Furthermore, a specific office is responsible for maintaining and disseminating a manual.  The following are recognized by Academic Affairs as "Primary Manuals":

Academic Affairs Policies and Procedures Manual.  Maintained and distributed by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.  Contains policies and procedures regarding the functions of the Division of Academic Affairs. (AAPPM)

Collective Bargaining Agreement.  Agreement between Florida Board of Education, State University System of Florida and the United Faculty of Florida. Maintained and distributed by the Florida Board of Eduction through the Office of Academic Budget and Personnel.  Contains policies related to faculty, administrative and professional employment. (CBA)

Florida Administrative Code.  Annotated Official Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Florida, Department of Education.  Published by the Secretary of State and distributed to selected offices in the University, such as the University attorney and Office of Academic Budget and Personnel. Section 6C8 deals specifically with Florida International University.  All University policies must be in compliance with these rules. (FAC)

Graduate Policies and Procedures Manual.  Maintained and distributed by the Division of Graduate Studies in collaboration with the Faculty Senate Graduate Council.  Contains items relating specifically to the governance of graduate programs. (GPPM)

Search and Screen Procedure Handbook.  Maintained by the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, Division of Business and Finance. Contains items relating to the employment of faculty and staff. (SSPH)

Tenure and Promotion Manuals.  The university libraries and each college and school have a faculty tenure and promotion manual.  The Provost's Office, deans and library director are responsible for the updating and dissemination of these manuals. (TEPR)

Undergraduate Policies and Procedures Manual.  Maintained and distributed by the Division of Undergraduate Studies in collaboration with the Faculty Senate Undergraduate Council. Contains items relating to undergraduate students and programs. (UGPM)

University Policies and Procedures Manual.  Maintained by the Division of Business and Finance. Contains policies relating to the administrative policies of the University. (UPPM)

2. SECONDARY MANUALS

"Secondary manuals" such as operational manuals, handbooks, guides and other University publications which contain polices and procedures are derived from the authoritative "Primary Manuals".  "Secondary manuals" detail the operational procedures or program specifications which implement the authoritative policies.  In the case of the college catalog and doctoral program manuals, the current issue at the time a student is admitted to a program serves as the legally recognized course of study.  "Secondary Manuals" such as guides and handbooks restate official policies for a specific readership in an easy to read format, however, these must be based upon approved policies in the "Primary Manuals.  "Some "Secondary Manuals" include:

University Catalogs.  The Undergraduate and Graduate catalogs are maintained by the Office of Enrollment Support Services with the respective Undergraduate or Graduate Dean, and are distributed by the Office of Admissions.  These University publications contain the relevant information and policies for students regarding academic programs and procedures.  The current catalogs at the time a student is admitted to a program serve as the legally recognized course of study unless a specific program manual is available.

Doctoral Program Manuals.  Every doctoral program must have a student manual which provides the policies and procedures for successful progression through the program.  These are updated by the chair and faculty of each program.

Division of Sponsored Research and Training Faculty/Staff Guide.  Maintained by the Division of Sponsored Research and Training, Academic Affairs.  Contains items for proposal preparation and award administration.

Graduate Student Handbook.  This handbook contains policies and procedures from a variety of sources specifically addressing the information needs of graduate students.  It is maintained and disseminated by the Division of Graduate Studies.

Regulations for Thesis and Dissertation Preparation Manual.  This manual is designed to assist candidates in the preparation and typing of theses and dissertations submitted for advanced degrees.  It is maintained and distributed by the Division of Graduate Studies in order to establish guidelines for uniformity in physical format of the manuscript and to delineate the procedures for filing the approved manuscript in the library.

Student Handbook.  Contains policies specific to student concerns, most notably student rights and responsibilities, grievance procedures, and descriptions of student services.  This manual is annually updated and distributed by the Division of Student Affairs.

Faculty Handbook: Florida International University.  Synthesizes information for faculty from scores of different documents, policy statements, procedure manuals, etc. in a readable, accessible and useful format.  This manual is maintained and distributed by the Vice Provost for Academic Programs.  

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Page last updated: January 17, 2002 by Amy Perez
Page Content: Kenneth Johnson