Business & Financial Affairs

Policy & Procedures

This website is the definitive source for the most current Savannah State University system-wide policies. Policies duplicated on other website’s or in print may not be the most current version.

In an effort to coordinate the editing, review, issuance, and archiving of all official university policies, the University has obtained a Policy & Procedures System, entitled the Policy & Procedures Manager. The system provides a mechanism to flow policies and procedures through the Universities official development process, and “legacy” policies that, in time, will be standardized. (To learn what is a “university policy” see the University Policy on Policies .)

Savannah State’s policies connect the university’s mission to the everyday actions of its community, clarify the institution’s expectations of its individual members, mitigate institutional risk, enhance efficiency, and support the University’s compliance with laws and regulations.

Individual colleges, schools, and departments may adopt distinct practices, standards, or guidelines, all of which must be consistent with these system-wide policies.

Additional USG Policies
University System of Georgia Business Procedures Manual
Board of Regents Policy Manual

Writing & Formatting Policies

Policy Format

  • All new or substantially revised policies must be written using the current Policy Template. Within our Policy & Procedure module, the aforementioned form is utilized to capture required content.
  • Follow the guidelines for each section as stated within the template. Detailed instructions for this template can be found HERE .
  • DO NOT rename, delete or add sections to the policy template.

Grammar and Style Rules

  • Use simple and specific terminology that can be easily understood by everyone.
  • Follow the following guidelines:
    • Capitalize any term defined in the policy each time it is used.
    • Capitalize titles of individuals at Savannah State when the title is referring to a specific person (e.g., “Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost”). Leave titles that refer to a group of people in lowercase (e.g., “vice provosts”).
    • Do not abbreviate months, even when used with a specific date.
  • Use the words “must” or “will” rather than “should” in the body of the policy. The later infers that the action is optional, which makes the need for the policy questionable.
  • Always use an office, department, unit or job title instead of an individual’s name. Examples:
    • “The Office of Ethics and Compliance is responsible for …”
    • “Contact the account clerk for “
  • Contact emails must be general department addresses or a Web page that gives further contact information. Individual email addresses may not be used; this prevents the policy from needing updates when personnel changes occur.
  • Do not underline subheadings or words that need to be stressed in a sentence. Rather, use the heading styles in Microsoft Word if it is a subheading or put it in italics if the word needs to be stressed (e.g., “Do not underline words.”). Underlined words can be mistaken for hyperlinks when the policy is posted online.

Policy Titles

  • The title should be clear, concise and accurately reflect the policy content.
  • Avoid the use of acronyms and the words “Savannah State ,” “University” and “policy.”
  • Use a title that is sufficiently different from other policies on this website.

Handling Hyperlinks and Related Documents

  • Use contextual links within the body of the policy and write out the full URL (Web address) in the Related Documents, Forms and Tools section of the policy.

Numbering System

Document Owner
The person who will be responsible for policy & procedure creation in the system, reviewing the document for revisions at review intervals, making the needed necessary
changes to the document and submitting for review

Reviewer
Is the person who will be required to review submitted documents, and provide feedback and comments regarding the document; document will not forward for approval until
reviewer has marked the document as reviewed.

Approver
the person who will serve as the final approver for the document; approvers can make comments and deny or push the document back to the document owner; once approved the
document is set to approve

Readers
persons who will be required to read the approved document at specified intervals; can be set to Everyone, or to specific department

Download Numbering System Chart (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions

How and when are policies updated?
Policies are updated as needed, and a complete policy review is conducted by the responsible executive at least every five years. Changes to the substance of a policy are presented to the University’s Executive Leadership for approval. Updates to the policy are noted in its history section.

How is the university community notified about new or updated policies?
Notification about new or revised policies are done through an announcement in Savannah State allusers email and/or on the home page of this site. Further communication or training will be done by the policy’s responsible office.

Who approves policies?
The Executive Leadership of the University approves all new policies and substantive revisions to existing policies.