Conflict of interest counsel

University Business,  May, 2008  

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IN DEVELOPING A CONFLICT OF interest policy, it's important to ask the right questions and consider the right topics. With that in mind, the American Council on Education formed a working group this past fall to help guide college and university presidents, trustees, administrators, and faculty in strengthening policies and practices related to conflicts of interest.

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"Many campuses already had policies, but given the current climate it was an opportune time for campuses to review them and possibly update them," says Ada Meloy, general counsel at ACE and chair of the working group. "There's a renewed interest in making sure that ethical practices permeate the institution, down to every level."

That renewed interest is, of course, at least in part a reactive one. The media has made the public well aware of issues uncovered in the nationwide investigation of financial aid lenders.

The working group, which included both higher education association and campus leaders, collaborated to publish a working document online. It proposes basic principles and identifies questions and criteria to guide review of policies and situations that may raise ethical concerns.

"The most complex and difficult area is the area of institutional conflicts of interest," says Meloy. While medical schools and hospitals have traditionally looked at these issues with relation to their research activities, individual conflicts of interest tended to be the focus. Now there's a better understanding of the need to pay attention to conflicts of interest in all areas and at all levels on the organizational chart, she explains.

To view the working paper, visit www .acenet.edu and click on the Papers & Proposals section of Government Relations & Public Policy.--M.E.

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