Records Retention Standard
Effective Date: May 2, 2025
Revised Date: September 2, 2025
1. Purpose
This standard establishes the procedures and standards for Arkansas State University in connection with the retention of University records by various divisions and departments of ASU. It is the intent of this procedure to ensure that all University records are maintained in accordance with all applicable statutory and procedure requirements in order to make certain that University records are not improperly or prematurely disposed of by a University department. Additionally, this procedure provides guidance to University employees as to appropriate time frames under which University records that are no longer necessary for the operation of the University may be properly disposed of, thereby promoting efficient and effective use of the University’s limited storage capacity.
2. Scope
These standards apply to all A-State controlled records listed in appendix A and must be followed by all departments within Arkansas State University.
3. Disposal Process for University Records
The delegates of executive custodians identified in the records retention schedule in Appendix A may authorize and subsequently dispose of University records when the retention period for said records has expired. Disposal must be conducted in a manner as identified by the “Disposal Method” and must be documented. The following criteria must be met in order to dispose of applicable records:
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The records to be disposed of meet or exceed the time frames established for such records in Appendix A.
- The disposal of the records complies with statutory, contractual, or accreditation obligations.
- The records to be disposed of do not relate to or contain information regarding current, pending or potential litigation involving the University.
Any 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.
4. Record Security
The security of physical (printed or microfilmed) records is the responsibility of the respective Executive Custodian, regardless of storage location. The security of electronic records is the responsibility of the enterprise technology services organization - Information & Technology Services (ITS).
5. Standard Modification
It will occasionally be necessary to update this standard as statutes, regulations, and business processes change. In the event that modification is necessary, the University data management committee will define and draft modifications to this procedure, for approval by the executive staff of the University.
6. Standards Review
This document will be reviewed and reaffirmed annually, or upon significant changes to university IT governance, systems, or regulatory requirements.
Effective Date: May 2, 2005
Next Review Date: September 2, 2026
Version: 1.1
Appendix A
This spreadsheet provides a comprehensive, though not exhaustive, listing of official Arkansas State University documents and their associated retention requirements. The retention timelines were last reviewed and updated on September 2, 2025 by the respective Executive Custodians serving on the University Data Management Committee. This appendix serves as a centralized reference to support consistent records management, compliance, and institutional stewardship across all units.
A-State ITS Records Retention (090225).pdf