Lansing Community College
Procedure Details

Procedure Title: Revising Retention Schedules
Procedure #: RM.005
Revision #: 000

Unit Responsible: Information Security Department
Individual Responsible: Records Information Specialist

Effective Date: 09/19/2022
Initial Approval Date:
Last Review/Update Date: 09/19/2022
Next Review Date: 09/19/2024

*Does this procedure support a Board Policy? Yes
If yes, identify: 6.100-Records Management

Board policies can be found at: LCC Board of Trustees Policy Page

*Does this procedure support HLC criteria? Yes
If yes, identify: 2A, 2B

HLC Criteria can be found at: HLC Accreditation Criteria

*Does this procedure support a State or Federal Regulation? Yes
If yes, identify: Michigan History Center Act (Act 470 of 2016) - MCL 399.811(3)
Michigan Penal Code (Act 328 of 1931) - MCL 750.491

*Note: Standard Operating Procedures should be in furtherance of some LCC policy and/or accreditation criteria, even if the relationship is not direct. Assistance in determining this information can be obtained from the Academic Procedure Advisory Committee (APAC) and/or the Accreditation Liaison Officer.

Revising Retention Schedules, BP 6.100

1. Purpose

To establish the process for regular revision of retention schedules.


2. Scope

This procedure is relevant to all employees, volunteers, and contractors at Lansing Community College (LCC) who are creators, users, owners, and/or stakeholders of LCC’s records.


3. Prerequisites

There is already a Records Retention and Disposal Schedule in place for this procedure to be applicable.


4. Responsibilities

The Records Information Specialist in the Information Security Department shall revise Records Retention and Disposal Schedules as necessary.

Employees that are stakeholders will provide input, suggestions, and eventually, approval of changes to the language and/or retention periods of records series within LCC’s Records Retention and Disposal Schedules.


5. Procedure

  1. Revision Schedule/Timeframe Overview:

    • General Records Retention and Disposal Schedules – Reviewed and revised annually.
    • Department-Specific Records Retention and Disposal Schedules – Reviewed and revised upon request or as necessary.

  2. Records Information Specialist’s Responsibilities:

    During the first week of September, the Records Information Specialist will communicate with stakeholders asking them to review the retention schedules by the end of September. The communication methods will be via an email and in an article in the weekly email communication to employees (e.g. The Star newsletter).

    Between September 1 and December 31, the Records Information Specialist will review LCC’s retention schedules, make approved and agreed-upon changes, and follow up on any incomplete proposed change requests.

    During the first full week of January, the Records Information Specialist will submit the final version of the revised retention schedule to the State of Michigan’s Records Management Services via the submission process (as outlined in the Developing Retention Schedules standard operating procedure # RM.001).

    NOTE: For department-specific retention schedules, the final version may be a separate supplement to the original retention schedule. For general schedules, the final version will be a revised version of the full schedule.

  3. To Propose Changes:

    1. Notify the Records Information Specialist when any of the following occur:
      • A new records series is created or has begun being used.
      • A records series was overlooked when the retention schedule was initially prepared or last revised.
      • A retention schedule does not conclusively identify an existing records series.
      • A retention period for a given records series is not clear or is incorrect.
      • A records series title has changed.
      • A records series listed in a retention schedule has been discontinued.
      • Departments have been consolidated, are now defunct or have been newly created.
      • Legal or regulatory developments warrant reconsideration of retention periods for specific records series.
      • Any other reason for which you believe the retention schedule is not adequate or is incorrect.
    2. Provide information to the Records Information Specialist (LCC-RIM@lcc.edu) about the proposed change:
      • Your name.
      • Your department.
      • The records series name.
      • The records series’ current retention period.
      • The proposed change.
      • The reason for the proposed change.
      • Any additional relevant information.
    3. Meet with the Records Information Specialist and other appropriate stakeholders to discuss the proposed change. Meetings will be scheduled by the Records Information Specialist.
    4. All stakeholders will come to a consensus about changes to records series.

  4. Timeline for Proposed Changes:

    Proposed changes can be submitted to the Records Information Specialist (LCC-RIM@lcc.edu) at any time between January 1 and September 1 each year.

    Any proposed changes that are submitted after September 1 will be included in the revision process for the following year.

    NOTE: These proposed changes refer to those that are submitted outside of the review and revision process outlined in (B) above.

  5. If No Changes Proposed:

    If no proposed change requests are received from stakeholders and no necessary changes are found by the Records Information Specialist, the current retention schedules will remain the official version.


6. Reference

Records Management Policy (LCC) – III. B.


7. Definitions

Records Retention and Disposal Schedule: A legal document that defines how long each record, regardless of its physical format, should be retained. (Also referred to as Retention Schedule or Schedule.)

Records Series: A group of related records filed/used together as a unit and evaluated as a unit for retention purposes (e.g. a personnel file consisting of an application, reference letters, benefit forms, etc.). (ARMA International TR 22-2016)