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[October 30, 2006]
An online University of California ethics briefing is scheduled to launch on November 8 at the UC Office of the President. Senior leadership at all campuses and locations will also be among the first to complete the briefing, which is required of all faculty and staff.
The briefing will be offered to employees throughout the UC system based on a scheduled rollout over the next four months.
The purpose of the 30-minute briefing is to familiarize all UC employees with the Statement of Ethical Values and Standards of Ethical Conduct, which were adopted by The Board of Regents in May 2005.
While various University locations for many years have emphasized ethical practices and may have created their own behavioral expectations, the upcoming systemwide briefing is intended to offer a standard set of expectations regarding the University's values and standards.
"Of course, the University has always endorsed the highest level of ethical standards and behavior," said UC President Robert C. Dynes. "But in today's climate it is clear that all institutions, and especially those that derive their support from the public, need to do more to demonstrate their commitment to ethical behavior in everything we do.
"I've been through this briefing myself. And I think it's important that we're all going through this same material together to give us a common frame of reference for further dialogue about ethical behavior at UC," said Dynes.
The online briefing includes several interactive scenarios that will give employees the opportunity to ponder possible ethical challenges in the workplace and to reflect upon the University values and standards that relate to each of the situations. The program also includes reference materials and ethics resources information. A Spanish version will be available to employees, and in-person briefings will be offered to those who do not have computer or Internet access.
The online briefing—developed through a contract with Workplace Answers—may be retrieved from any computer with Internet access. When the briefing is rolled out to locations, each University employee will receive an email and personalized link from Workplace Answers directing them to the briefing. Each location will have an eight week period during which all employees will be expected to complete the online briefing.
Online conflict of interest training for Principal Investigators and Designated Officials will be implemented in early 2007.
Visit the UC Ethics Website for updates on when the briefing will be made available at your location. The website also includes a history of the Statement of Ethical Values and Standards of Ethical Conduct, links to UC policies, and ethics resources. In the future, the site will also track each location's progress toward 100 percent employee completion.