Records Management is the process of managing the records of an organization through it’s life-cycle. This involves classifying, storing, securing, retrieving and the destruction of records whether it’s in a paper or electronic format. Any record, regardless of medium, created by an office or an employee using university resources in the normal course of university business is a state record and must be managed in accordance with state and system regulations.

Under the authority of Texas Government Code §441.180 and System regulation 61.99.01, Prairie View A&M University is responsible for maintaining an active and on going record management program which preserves and protects state records in an efficient and economical manner.

State records should not be destroyed or disposed of unless approved in writing by the records officer. A state record may not be destroyed if there is any litigation, claim, negotiation, audit, open records request, administrative review, or any other action involving the record is initiated before the expiration of the retention period. The record must be retained until completion of the action and the resolution of all issues that arise from it, or until the expiration of the retention period, whichever is later. (Section 441.187(b), Government Code).

Every department in the university must establish an effective record management program and adopt management techniques that are suitable for them. Departments are responsible for their own records retention, storage and timely disposal and must comply with the applicable state laws, system regulations and university procedures on record management. The goals of record retention are to help identify and preserve vital, confidential and historical records while making it easy to access state records and to stay in compliance with state regulations.

Contact Information
Sarah A. Wiemken
Business Administrator I / Accessibility Coordinator
Center for Information Technology Excellence (C.I.T.E.)
Phone: (936) 261-9354
Email: sawiemken@pvamu.edu