Regulations

University of Galway’s Statutes, Regulations and Policies provide the internal legal and governance framework for the University. They are usually linked to the relevant legislation and address the implementation in practice of provisions in the legislation and/or cover new areas of operation which may not be covered in the legislation.

For some areas of operations (e.g. health and safety, procurement, human resources, freedom of information, data protection, protected disclosures, quality) there may also be other legislation which will guide the development of relevant university policies, procedures and other governance documentation.

Statutes

Since its foundation, the University of Galway has been governed according to its Statutes. They are rules made by the University for the administration of its internal affairs. Statutes have typically dealt with the structures in the University and the roles and responsibilities of key office-holders and units. Statutes are approved by Údarás na hOllscoile with the agreement of Academic Council.

With the Statutes increasing in number over time, work is close to completion on consolidation of their key provisions into a Principal Statute for clarity and ease of reference.

Current Examples:
Statute CCCLXXI (371) Composition of the University Management Team
Statute ‌CCCLVI (356)‌ Composition of Academic Council

Regulations

University Regulations are secondary to Statutes in the University hierarchy. They often deal with structures at College, School and Discipline level.

Current Examples:
Regulation 2-2018 - Role and Structure of College Boards‌
Regulation 1-2018 - re Role and Reporting Relationships of Executive Deans

Policies

A policy is a formal high-level statement of principle guiding the University's operations and decision making.

A policy is often developed as a means of implementing specific legal or statutory requirements. University-wide policies are generally adopted or approved by the Governing 

Authority or another senior governance body within the university (Academic Council or the University Management Team).   

A policy may stand alone or can be implemented through supporting documents, for example procedures, protocols or one of the other document categories lower than a policy in the document hierarchy. In fact, many policies require associated procedures (see Procedures. Once approved, compliance with a policy is mandatory.

Current Examples:
QA 400 Data Protection Policy
QA 050 Curriculum Design and Management Policy

Our central Policy and Procedures Repository currently hosts the policies, procedures, rules, regulations, guidelines and methods for conducting various key processes including teaching, research and support processes.  These must be designed to reflect best practice in higher education and are currently subject to review at least once every seven years.

'QA002 Policies and Procedures' sets out how to create policies and procedures.

This approach is under review by the Quality Office, with preparatory work being undertaken in 2022 with a view to updating the Policy Management Framework for the University.