This webpage is under development and is undergoing regular changes and review (most recent update: July 24, 2024).

Policies and Procedures at New Mexico Tech

New Mexico Tech Policies help to ensure coordinated compliance with applicable laws and regulations, to promote operational efficiencies, to enhance the Institute mission, or to reduce institutional risk. In addition, New Mexico Tech Policies help to ensure integrity and other fundamental institutional values that define the vision of New Mexico Tech, such as academic freedom, freedom of expression, shared governance, maintaining collegiality and citizenship, and upholding accountability for professionalism and diplomacy among administration, faculty, staff, students, other constituents and maintaining accountability to our accrediting and regulating organizations. All New Mexico Tech policies are found on this webpage, though most also found on various division and office websites (e.g., academic policies are listed on the Office of Academic Affairs site).

New Mexico Tech's Policy Development, Amendment and Rescindment Policy, which is informally known as the Policy on Policy, governs the development, amendment and rescindment of New Mexico Tech policies. As part of the process outlined in this document some draft university policies are subject to a 10-day review and comment period. Such draft policies are posted on this website (see below).

Policy Types

Institute-Wide Policy

Institute-wide policies are those that affect the broader campus community. For example, those needed to operate New Mexico Tech in compliance with state and federal legislation, such as campus health and safety standards, best practices in research, records retention, financial operations, and rules governing non-academic student behavior on campus.

Academic Policy

Academic policies are those that are focused on the academic mission of the Institute. Examples include policies governing academic freedom, tenure and promotion, academic honesty, faculty governance, and faculty qualifications.

Policies Requiring Board of Regents Approval

Some policies require approval by the Board of Regents in addition to the approval of the President. The President and the Chair of the Board of Regents determine whether or not a policy requires Board of Regents' approval. The Board will typically consider policies that govern the financial health and overall quality of the Institute.

Interim Policies

Interim policies are needed when a policy must be in place and there is not time to follow the procedures outlined in this document. For example, an interim policy might be needed to keep New Mexico Tech in compliance with federal or state laws, or the expectations of an accreditation agency. An interim policy only requires approval by the President. An interim policy must note in its title that it is an interim policy. Such policies are by their nature short-term, and should be replaced by regularly developed and approved policy within one year of their adoption.

Conflicts

If a policy or portion of policy conflicts with other Institute policy or with state or federal legislation, the higher ranking policy takes precedence, with the order of ranking, from lowest to highest: academic policy, Institute-wide policy, any policy approved by the Board of Regents, state legislation, federal legislation. If no policy exists regarding a particular issue, the Institute must defer to state or federal law.

Policies Under Campus Community Review

The final drafts of the following policy or policies are available to the campus community for a minimum of 10 business day review and comment period. Any policy under review will appear in this section.

Four draft NMT policies have been posted for a 20-business-day review and comment period:

AF-02-Purchasing Policy

OP-04-Nepotism Policy

OP-06-Institutional Naming Policy

SA-01-Preferred Name Policy

Please submit comments about these draft policies by 5 PM on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2024, via the following Google form.

Because of the approaching winter break and because of the number of draft policies, we have doubled the comment period to encourage your feedback. Note: You can comment on only one policy per form submission. Please submit a separate form for each policy you wish to comment on.

A policy about NMT’s Policy on Honorary Degrees has been posted for the campus community to review. This will place the existing policy into the new format with some minor changes. For completeness, the proposed revisions to the procedures associated with this policy have been included. Although only the policy will go forward to the Board of Regents to review and approve, the provost wants to make sure there is opportunity for the campus community to review the procedures as well. They were reviewed and approved at the December Faculty Senate.

AA-03-Policy on Honorary Degrees

Procedures for Honorary Degrees

Because it is the end of the semester, and the upcoming holiday season is nearly upon us, this policy will be available to the campus community to review until 5 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. Please submit comments about the Policy on Honorary Degrees via this Google form link: https://forms.gle/GAy6xwxiYZUTe6979

Relevant Documents and Templates:

Policy Development, Amendment and Rescindment Policy

New Mexico Tech Policy and Procedures Template and Style Guide

New Mexico Tech Policy Signature and Approval Document

Complete List of Policies

Policies and procedures are listed under the Office of the President and the office of the Vice President or Division Head that is responsible for (the sponsor of) the policy and procedure.