Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

A university policy is a formal directive that applies to members of the UW–Madison community—including faculty, staff, students, users, and visitors—as defined by the policy’s scope. This applies regardless of where the policy originated.

A policy is still considered a university policy even if it appears to apply only to a specific subset of people (e.g., “students in campus housing”). For example, a smoke-free policy affects both smokers and nonsmokers.

The term “university” refers to the level at which the policy is issued—specifically UW–Madison, not the broader UW System or an individual school, college, or division. The scope of a policy defines its applicability, even when the policy is issued at the university level.

The policy library serves as the single reliable and up-to-date resource for all existing university policies. When a policy emerges that is not yet included in the library, we collaborate with the appropriate campus office(s) to determine whether it qualifies as a university policy and should be added.

Currently, not all school, college, and division-level policies are included in the policy library. However, these are actively being incorporated. These policies exist one level below university policy (see Navigating Policy Hierarchy) and apply only to the specific school, college, or division identified by the abbreviation in the policy title (e.g., CALS, NURS, SMPH).

If the policies apply to members of the university community (students, faculty, staff), or visitors to campus, then they must be in the policy library. If they are not in the library, they are not considered official university policy. If you are unsure as to whether your policies are university policies, please contact the policy library coordinator for guidance.

All university-level policies must be included in the UW–Madison Policy Library to be recognized as official university policy.

While not mandatory, it is strongly recommended that schools, colleges, and divisions also include their policies in the library to promote consistency, transparency, and ease of access.

The policy library is an asset to our campus. As stewards of this resource, it is incumbent on all of us to actively ensure that the policy library remains up to date by submitting revisions and new policies promptly and avoiding duplicating policies outside the library (e.g., on websites, in KnowledgeBases). The policy library coordinator and policy library team also work to ensure that policies meet the standards of the policy library and are reviewed and updated regularly.

Yes. Procedures and guidelines are not considered policy and should generally be removed from policies. However, there are limited exceptions. In some cases, a procedure may be included in the “Procedure” section of a policy within the library—typically when it is essential for public understanding and directly supports the application of the policy.

Questions and feedback are welcome. Contact the policy library coordinator.

The policy library does not change who has the authority to create, revise, or retire a policy. That authority remains with individuals in defined policy roles—such as approval authorities, policy managers, and policy contacts—who are governed by the requirements and guidelines outlined in Policy Management at UW–Madison.

The policy library coordinator and policy library team, housed in the Office of Strategic Consulting, do not have authority to independently change policy.

Yes, shared governance groups—including those representing faculty, Academic Staff, University Staff, and students—play a vital role in the development and revision of university policies. These groups are actively engaged in policy processes that directly affect their constituents. Responsible offices, policy managers, and approval authorities consult with these governance groups when creating new policies or revising existing policies to ensure broad representation and input.

Contact the policy library coordinator as early as possible in the policy development process—ideally when you’re first asking, “Should this be a policy?” The policy library team can help determine whether a policy already exists or is needed, assist with researching regulations and peer institutions, support policy content development, identify related policies, and publish the policy in the policy library.

To revise a policy—whether making minor edits or comprehensive changes—the policy contact, policy manager, or approval authority must reach out to the policy library coordinator. The policy library team will provide the current published version and request that proposed changes be submitted using track changes. The team will review all edits to ensure consistency with policy library standards, alignment with applicable laws and regulations, and coherence with any higher order policies.

To retire a policy—meaning it will be removed from the policy library and no longer actively used across campus—the policy contact, policy manager, or approval authority must complete the Policy Retirement Request Form.

The policy library team aims to respond to requests within two business days. For requests that involve multiple changes or complex formatting, additional time may be needed to ensure accuracy and quality.

The policy library team supports the development of clear, consistent, and accessible policies across the university. They offer full-service policy editing and development in collaboration with the policy contact, policy manager, or approval authority. Drawing on their knowledge of UW–Madison, UW System, state, and federal regulations, the team provides expert feedback and practical suggestions to strengthen policy language and structure. When needed, they can also draft policy language based on the scenarios and needs described by campus partners.

No. Official university policies must be published exclusively in the UW–Madison Policy Library. If a unit’s website or KB content duplicates all or part of a policy, that content must be removed, revised, or replaced with a direct link to the relevant policy in the library. Publishing policies elsewhere can lead to user confusion and risk for the institution.

KBs may be used for non-policy content, such as guidelines, procedures, and reference material.

Most policies include hyperlinks to relevant procedures, processes, or forms when they are directly referenced in the policy text. Additionally, supporting documents that are not official UW–Madison policies are listed in the sections following the policy language:

• Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources
• External References

The KnowledgeBase is a good option to serve as a “related documents” repository. However, as with all web-based materials, the responsible office should have in place a regular review and refresh cycle to ensure that materials posted in the KB remain current.

The policy library shows current, up-to-date versions of all university policies and will maintain a version history as revisions/changes to current policies are made. (Note: for previous versions of policies before implementation of the policy library, contact the relevant policy manager or responsible office noted in the policy.)

To better understand the terminology and document types used throughout the policy library, refer to Understanding Policy Library Terminology. For guidance on writing and editing policies, consult the Policy Library Style Guide.

For questions about the applicability, interpretation, or other aspects of a specific policy, reach out to the policy contact listed in the Policy Administration section at the bottom of the policy in the policy library.