Policy Purpose
At the University of Southern California (“USC”), our values provide the foundation for the actions we take and guide our decisions as we work to achieve our fundamental commitment to our mission of excellence in teaching, research, caring for patients, athletics, and service to community.
We act with integrity when carrying out our responsibilities. Each of us is accountable for ensuring that no Conflict of Interest or Conflict of Commitment arises that may interfere with our ability to perform work for the benefit of USC and its students, patients, and partners. Our guiding principle is never to permit actual or perceived Conflicts of Interest to interfere with our professional commitment to USC.
In light of these accountabilities, all USC Employees must disclose actual or potential conflicts to their supervisor, department chair, or Dean and report them to the Office of Culture, Ethics and Compliance as set forth below. No employee should engage in activities that give rise to an actual or potential Conflict of Interest until the conflict has been disclosed and addressed. Early disclosure and resolution enable all of us to focus on the mission of USC. Many potential conflicts can be resolved through a plan to mitigate the actual conflict or potential conflict.
Employees should report actual or potential Conflicts of Interest that involve an employee’s supervisor, department chair, Dean, or management to the Office of Culture, Ethics and Compliance.
While no policy can anticipate the full range of activities that may give rise to Conflicts of Interest, this policy is intended to help identify actual or potential conflicts and to describe the steps that will be taken to review and address conflict scenarios.
Please view policy to access additional details.