REGENT LAW AND POLICY WRITERS TOOLBOX

IN DEVELOPMENT

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Policies

1. What are the definitions of a Regent Law, Regent Policy, Administrative Policy Statements, policies and procedures?

  • The Laws of the Regents are the highest source of authority within the University of Colorado, establish how the University of Colorado is organized and governed, and are binding upon the Regents of the University of Colorado and the university community. 
  • Regent policies are enacted by the Regents of the University of Colorado to operationalize the Laws of the Regents, direct the operation of functions for which the Board of Regents retains ultimate responsibility, and delegate authority to officers of the university and the administration.
  • Universitywide administrative policy statements (APS) are enacted by the president of the university in accordance with defined processes to provide operational requirements to the entire university community and delegate authority to officers of the university and the administration.
  • Universitywide procedure statements include detailed information on rules and how to complete specific tasks within functional areas including, but not limited to, finance, procurement, human resources, risk management and university relations.

2. What are universitywide administrative policies?

Universitywide administrative policy statements (APS) are enacted by the president of the university in accordance with defined processes to provide operational requirements to the entire university community and delegate authority to officers of the university and the administration (commonly known as Administrative Policy Statements or APSs).

3. How do I find a policy?

University policies may be found at www.cu.edu/ope.  Quicklinks are provided on the home page to:

  1. Search Policies,
  2. View list of APSs by A-Z,
  3. View list of APSs by functional area (e.g., financial, human resources).

There is also a link to Policy Related Resources in the menu under "Policy Search" that has links to major university-related policy sources (i.e., regent laws and policies, APSs, campus and system administration policies, governance, CU service center procedures,  handbooks, and external policy links).

For assistance, contact the Office of Policy and Efficiency at 303-860-5711 or ope@cu.edu.

4. What is the Standard University Policy format?

The standard university policy format is a format developed by the Office of Policy and Efficiency that defines the various optional and mandatory parts of a policy. All administrative policy statements (APSs) will be written using this format. You can view the template by clicking HERE.

5. How do I know if a policy was recently updated?

The Office of Policy and Efficiency website www.cu.edu/ope provides a list of:

  • Policies under review
  • Latest APS changes
  • OPE Policy Blog (latest policy news)

For assistance, contact the Office of Policy and Efficiency at 303-860-5711 or ope@cu.edu.

6. What is the role of the Office of Policy and Efficiency?

The Office of Policy and Efficiency oversees the president’s universitywide administrative policymaking process; facilitates the development, review, approval and maintenance of universitywide administrative policy statements (APSs); and acts as the official repository and point-of-contact regarding APSs.  OPE also supports the formal review of regent laws and policies.

7. Who do I contact with policy questions?

Each APS will list a responsible office and policy contact. For general policy questions, contact the Office of Policy and Efficiency at:
ope@cu.edu
303-860-5711

8. If I think a policy is incorrect, out-of-date or obsolete, who should I contact?

Office of Policy and Efficiency
ope@cu.edu
303-860-5711

9. How will I know if a policy changes?

The Office of Policy and Efficiency website cu.edu/ope provides:

  • Policies under review
  • Latest policy changes

OPE also issues news briefs and updates to the university community via:

  • CU Connections
  • OPE Policy Blog

For assistance, contact the Office of Policy and Efficiency at 303-860-5711 or email ope@cu.edu.

10. Do I follow the campus or system policies?

If applicable, follow both. Campus policies should adhere to system policies but may add campus-specific requirements to the broader system policy. A universitywide policy framework and hierarchy is provided in Article 1.C of the Laws of the Regents - click here.