RETURN TO ETHICS AT RUTGERS HOME

Memo to Staff Regarding the Ethics Program

This memorandum is a follow-up to messages I sent out in April and May of this year regarding our need to be compliant with new State ethics regulations. It will also serve to introduce new staff to the university's ethics initiative.

Rutgers is a steward of the public trust; university employees must take care to exhibit the highest ethical standards of conduct in carrying out their duties and must avoid any conduct that might produce even the appearance of misuse of their Rutgers positions to further their own personal interests.

The New Jersey Conflicts of Interest Law was amended and strengthened in 2006. It called for more education of public employees regarding ethical standards. Accordingly, Rutgers implemented an information dissemination and education program on ethics. As part of this program, we provided each Rutgers regular salaried full-time faculty and staff member with the Rutgers Code of Ethics, and with a Rutgers Plain Language Guide to Fundamental Ethics and Conflicts Rules Established by State Law, Federal Law and University Policy. After reading the documents, each staff member should have signed the Receipt and Acknowledgement of Rutgers Code of Ethics and Rutgers Plain Language Guide form and have submitted it to University Human Resources. If you have not already completed and submitted this form please do so immediately. New staff should be sure to review these documents and submit the form as soon as possible.

Deadline Approaching for the Annual Report of Outside Employment

One of the central components of the State's ethics program is an annual report of outside employment. Each full-time Rutgers staff member shall complete a Rutgers University Outside Employment Form for Staff that identifies outside employers, the nature of the outside employment undertaken, and the time involved. You will find the form at http://uhr.rutgers.edu/ethics/StaffOutsideEmploymentForm.pdf. Rutgers staff should complete the form and submit it annually to the appropriate individual as indicated on the form. Please note that the September 30 deadline for submission of this form is coming up soon. The form asks for information regarding employment which you were engaged in during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008. Please be sure to use the current version of the document available on the ethics website. New staff, please note that you do not have to report outside employment in which you engaged prior to your employment at Rutgers.

Ethics Policies, Forms, and Related Materials

The university's ethics website, now contains Frequently Asked Questions; links to relevant informational material, including the Rutgers Code of Ethics and the Rutgers Plain Language Ethics Guide; and the forms most employees will need to complete on an annual basis, as described above. However, as always, if you have questions or concerns you may consult with your supervisor or send your inquiry to ethics@oldqueens.rutgers.edu.

c: Richard L. McCormick