Not all records have the same retention requirements. The length of time a record must be maintained depends on its administrative, legal, fiscal, and historical value.
Fort Lewis College follows the Colorado State Archives Records Management Manual, Schedule No. 8 – Higher Education, which establishes retention requirements for records commonly created and maintained by institutions of higher education. The schedule identifies records that require permanent retention and provides the minimum retention periods that must be met before records may be legally destroyed.
Retention schedules apply to the official record copy regardless of format, including paper records, emails, digital documents, databases, microfilm, digital images, audio recordings, and video recordings.
Departments should use the retention schedule to:
- Determine how long records must be retained.
- Identify which office is responsible for maintaining the official record copy.
- Recognize records that require permanent retention or transfer to the Center of Southwest Studies Archives.
- Ensure records are disposed of in accordance with state requirements and College policy.
Records involved in litigation, audits, investigations, open records requests, or other legal actions should not be destroyed until all holds have been lifted, even if the stated retention period has expired.
For assistance interpreting retention requirements or identifying the appropriate retention period for a record series, please contact the College Records Manager.