University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Policy Name: Retention of Records
Policy Number: LR220.1
Effective Date: August 10, 2010
Policy
This policy establishes the procedures and standards for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in connection with the retention of university records. It is the intent of this policy to ensure that university records are maintained in accordance with applicable statutory and policy requirements and provide guidance to university employees as to appropriate time frames for retention of university records.
The record custodian identified in the Records Retention Schedule may authorize and subsequently dispose of university records when the retention period for said records has expired. Disposal shall be conducted in a safe and secure manner and be documented.
The following criteria shall be met in order to dispose of applicable records:
- The records shall meet or exceed the time frames established for such records in the Records Retention Schedule (sample schedule attached). Each vice chancellor and/or direct report to the chancellor shall develop a records retention schedule for his or her functional area. Such schedule shall be reviewed at least on an annual basis with any changes transmitted to the vice chancellor for finance and administration by the end of the first quarter of each fiscal year. In the event no changes to the schedule are necessary, the vice chancellor and/or direct report for the functional area shall notify the vice chancellor for finance and administration, in writing, that no changes were required.The retention periods established by this schedule are minimum retention periods. Regardless of the minimum retention periods stated within this schedule, a department may determine any of its records may be of permanent value to the department or the university’s operations, may have external requirements for perpetual retention, or may be useful for the study of history. Such records may be retained permanently.In the event there are differences in retention periods between the Records Retention Schedule and state or federal law, the applicable law shall take precedence. If there are no laws governing the retention of a record, an administrative decision by the vice chancellor for finance and administration will be made as to a disposal date.
- The disposal of records shall comply with statutory, contractual, or accreditation obligations.
- The records do not relate to or contain information pertaining to current, pending, or potential litigation involving the university. Questions regarding these criteria should be addressed to the university legal counsel through the vice chancellor for finance and administration.
These criteria do not apply to individual documents that are processed individually as a part of an employee’s daily activities, but rather to large quantities of records which have been retained as a part of the university archival and retrieval practices.
The custodian will maintain one official copy of each document, which will alleviate unnecessary duplication of records. This copy may be paper or electronic, depending on legal requirements. Other copies may be destroyed when activity has ceased. In some cases, departments may decide to retain duplicate records for a short period of time after the activity has ceased. This determination should be made on an individual basis by the department involved.
The security of physical records (printed, microfilm, or imaged) is the responsibility of the respective record custodian, regardless of storage location. The security of electronic records maintained in the university Data Center is the responsibility of Information Technology Services.
Revisions to the policy and/or the Records Retention Schedule shall be submitted to the vice chancellor for finance and administration for approval.
Retention Schedules
Template
Finance
Academic Affairs – Students
Source: Arkansas General Records Retention Schedule; UAF Retention of Records Policy; ASU Records Retention Procure
Revised: August 2, 2010
Approved By: Chancellor Joel E. Anderson and Direct Report Group
Custodian: Office of Finance and Administration