Tips for Implementing Policy

When I was asked to contribute a blog post for this month, I thought, “Sure! No problem! I love to write!” Then I sat down to really put pen to paper, and I was…stumped. What should I write about? And then it came to me, and I dusted off my two-year-old dissertation for inspiration.

When I began to pursue my doctorate quite a few years ago, I wasn’t sure what to research. Then I met a colleague at a conference, and she told me that research is just “me-search.” And so, my quest to figure out policy implementation started. As a Title IX Coordinator at a small private college with an 85% female student population, I dealt with pregnant students on a regular basis. Part of my job was to help develop education plans for students who were preparing to give birth and needed to finish their courses, and this meant working directly with faculty to implement our institution’s pregnant student policy. Our policy was written with the help of higher education attorneys and reviewed every two years. It was concise, to the point, legally sound, and only about two pages long. It was approved by our executive staff at the college as well as our board of trustees, published on our website, made available to new employees and students during orientations, and generally accepted by all who read or reviewed it.

So, what was the problem? Or as we say in the world of dissertation research, what was the problem statement? We had a great policy, but implementing it was a different story. And as my research showed, implementation is where the trouble usually arises. I found that I wasn’t the only one having difficulties implementing pregnant student policy, especially regarding leaves of absence and attendance accommodations. In the increasing number of Title IX violations at institutions of higher education over the last ten years, faculty were key in determining institutional actions regarding pregnancy policy and practice. So, I went about figuring out more about the faculty experience with implementing pregnant student policy, and here is what I discovered. The people who are closest to the issue, in this instance, the faculty, use their discretion to determine institutional actions—effectively, they implement the policy.

I won’t bore you with the details of all 119 pages of my dissertation, but I will share this with you. The development of the policy is just the beginning. Here are my pro tips on implementing policy:

• Educate and train all stakeholders on the policy
• Engage subject matter experts within the institution to assist in the implementation process
• Don’t underestimate the importance of shared governance and academic freedom when faculty are closest to the issue and ultimately responsible for implementing the policy

Building a policy program, developing policies, reviewing and revising policies, and keeping up on all the changes in laws and regulations that pertain to higher education are all vital parts of policy administration. However, the work is not done even when the best policy is developed and approved—it’s just beginning. The purpose of any policy is to guide and determine actions, and those actions do things like protect the rights of employees and students and guarantee access to education. Actions that result from policies are important, so don’t forget the implementation part.