Conflict of Interest

Maintenance of the public trust is critical to the mission and reputation of Syracuse University (the University), which is committed to upholding the principles of transparency, integrity and accountability. The University encourages its employees to interact with business and industry, public and private organizations, and government agencies in ways that support the institution’s mission.

Federal conflict of interest rules prohibit employees from taking official action in a particular matter involving any entity in which you, or someone whose interests are imputed to you, have a financial interest. Additionally, federal Standards of Conduct prohibit employees from acting in a particular matter that involves a financial interest of a member of your household or if it involves a person with whom you have a “covered relationship.”

As part of Syracuse University’s ongoing commitment to conduct all of its business activities in a fair and ethical manner, all non-bargaining unit employees are required annually to file a brief Conflict of Interest (COI) disclosure questionnaire. The purpose of these disclosures is to identify potential situations where an employee or close relative may be in a position to inappropriately influence or benefit from a financial transaction or employment relationship. Reports of conflicts based on appearances can undermine public trust in ways that may not be adequately restored even when the mitigating facts of a situation are brought to light. Apparent conflicts, therefore, should be disclosed and evaluated with the same vigor as actual conflicts. Once identified, every effort is made to mitigate the potential conflict in order to avoid the possibility or appearance of impropriety.

The annual COI disclosure process is administered through the Office of Compliance and is typically launched in February when employees are instructed to login to the MySlice portal and complete their personalized online COI disclosure questionnaire. For directions on completing the questionnaire, please see our “How To” document.

Employees with questions or concerns related to COI, or who need to update their current COI disclosure questionnaire for any reason, should contact the COI administrator at conflictsofinterest@syr.edu.

Conflict of Interest Administrator
Office of Compliance
Syracuse University
621 Skytop Road, Suite 100
Syracuse, New York 13244-5290
conflictsofinterest@syr.edu
Ext: 4210