In an effort to identify policies that foster an institutional "culture of teaching," or encourage use of effective pedagogies, this study uses data from 5,612 faculty members at 45 institutions to examine connections between institutional policies and faculty members' perceptions and practices related to teaching and learning. A series of multi-level models suggests that academic policy variables have small and generally insignificant relationships to such faculty perceptions or practices. Instead, conventional institutional characteristics, such as selectivity and Carnegie classification, appear to be more influential factors. (Contains 5 footnotes, 3 tables, and 3 figures.)