Policy updates for June 2026

Important Policy Information

• Policy primary owner initiative: In the coming months and year, policy owners will be receiving an email regarding policies they currently co-own with other departments. The goal is to have a primary owner selected to approve minor amendments, answer questions with the help of the policy manager and be the primary contact for the policy.

• Policy action cover sheet reminder: Each department will contact the Policy Office to create a policy action coversheet at the beginning of the drafting stage, which will then accompany the policy throughout its development. This coversheet is designed to help departments track progress, clarify actions and ensure smooth coordination as policies move forward.

Approved policy revisions

• Non-discrimination and Anti-harassment (Policy 1060): This policy was revised to improve clarity, consistency, and fairness in the complaint resolution process. The updates include administrative title and office name changes, removal of provisions that were not applicable to this policy, clarification of informal resolution procedures and participant rights, enhanced guidance regarding the handling of sensitive medical information and information sharing in matters involving multiple respondents, and clarification of reporting and recordkeeping requirements. In addition, at the request of the Faculty Senate, a formal employee appeals process was added, providing complainants and respondents with a defined mechanism to appeal certain outcomes based on specified grounds and establishing a structured review process for those appeals.

• Title IX Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct (Policy 1065): This policy was revised to align with the requirements of Idaho Code § 33-3733 (Title IX Compliance in Higher Education), which became effective July 1, 2025, and assigns responsibility for Title IX compliance to the President of each Idaho public college and university. The revisions clarify the President's oversight and approval responsibilities for certain Title IX matters, including disciplinary actions, sanctions, long-term remedies, emergency removals, and policy approvals. Additional updates were made to ensure compliance with federal Title IX regulations by narrowing the policy's jurisdictional scope, updating definitions to reflect changes in federal crime reporting standards, and adding provisions that allow parties to request reasonable disability-related accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) throughout the Title IX process.
• Employment of Full-Time Benefit-Eligible Faculty (Policy 4210): This policy was revised to replace a suspended and outdated policy with a comprehensive, current framework for faculty recruitment and hiring across all faculty appointment types, including tenure-eligible, tenured, and non-tenure-eligible faculty. The revisions address a prior gap in policy-level guidance for tenure-eligible and tenured faculty hiring and establish consistent, transparent, and equitable procedures aligned with current university practices, Idaho State Board of Education requirements, AAUP recommendations, and principles of shared governance. The updated policy clarifies the roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority of faculty, search committees, hiring managers, deans, Human Resources, and the Provost; affirms meaningful faculty participation in hiring decisions; and removes obsolete forms, offices, and processes no longer in use or governed elsewhere in university policy.
• Annual Faculty Performance Evaluations (Policy 4290): This policy was revised to address institutional compensation and merit reporting deadlines, improve alignment between faculty evaluation processes and the academic calendar, and provide greater clarity and consistency in annual faculty evaluations. The revisions establish an academic-year-based evaluation cycle and move evaluation activities to the Fall semester, ensuring that evaluation work occurs during faculty and supervisor contract periods while supporting the university's March 1 compensation and merit decision deadline. The updates also clarify evaluation expectations, streamline required submissions, provide guidance for special circumstances such as sabbaticals, leave, and new faculty appointments, and strengthen alignment with related university policies governing workload, teaching effectiveness, and faculty responsibilities. Collectively, these changes reduce administrative burden, improve consistency across academic units, and create a more transparent and effective faculty evaluation process.
• Search and Appointment of Academic Administrators (Policy 4500): This policy was revised to modernize and expand the university's framework for the selection and appointment of academic administrators, addressing gaps in guidance, inconsistent practices across academic units, and the absence of policies governing many leadership roles. The updates establish a comprehensive and consistent approach for appointing academic administrators, including interim and acting positions below the level of provost, while providing clear definitions, standardized procedures, and greater transparency in selection processes. The revised policy strengthens alignment with shared governance principles, AAUP guidance, and related university policies by clarifying faculty participation, decision-making responsibilities, conflict-of-interest expectations, and the role of appointing authorities. Collectively, these changes promote fairness, consistency, accountability, and stakeholder confidence in academic leadership appointments across the university.
• Promotions, Transfers, Demotions, and Interim Appointments (Policy 7640): This policy was revised to align with current Boise State University policies and Idaho Administrative Procedure Act (IDAPA) guidelines while providing greater clarity and consistency in employment-related personnel actions. The updates clarify how accrued leave balances are managed when employees transfer, are promoted, or are demoted, ensuring that responsibility for vacation, sick leave, and holiday balances transfers to the receiving department. The revisions also establish clearer expectations for internal candidates by requiring notification of their current supervisor before a final reference check is conducted, promoting transparency throughout the internal hiring and transfer process.
• Animals on Campus (Policy 9160): This policy was revised to clarify requirements related to service animals in training and to ensure consistent application of campus access standards. The update specifies that individuals accompanied by a service animal in training may be excluded from campus facilities if they are unable to provide the required identification card and may instead be directed to the university's process for requesting approval to bring a pet on campus. In addition, information regarding pets on campus was removed from the policy and relocated to university guidance materials on the website to improve accessibility and administrative consistency.

Approved new policies

• Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct - University Jurisdiction (Policy 1067) : This new policy was created to provide a process for addressing complaints of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct that fall outside the jurisdictional scope of Title IX and Policy 1065 while still impacting members of the university community and their equal access to the university's educational programs and activities. The policy applies to complaints involving university community members when the alleged conduct occurred outside the locations or circumstances covered by federal Title IX regulations, including incidents occurring outside the United States or away from university-controlled property. While the policy largely mirrors the procedures and protections contained in Policy 1065, it was developed as a separate framework to ensure the university can effectively respond to and resolve allegations that are not governed by Title IX requirements.
• Review of Compensation Charges to Sponsored Projects (Policy 5035): This policy was revised to align university practices with current federal compensation compliance requirements and to formally support the university's transition from traditional effort reporting to a payroll verification methodology. The updated approach is better aligned with Uniform Guidance requirements governing compensation charged to federally sponsored projects and provides a more accurate and flexible process for confirming that salary and wage expenses charged to a project do not exceed the value of the work performed. The revision also strengthens the university's internal control framework by documenting the after-the-fact review process used to verify payroll expenditures, while significantly reducing administrative burden for faculty and staff involved in federally funded research and sponsored programs.

Share This

• Share on Facebook
• Share on X
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share through Email