ACE Working Paper Offers Guidance on Conflicts of Interest

Print Version

February  6, 2008

ACE Working Paper Offers Guidance on Conflicts of Interest

Update:  ACE issued a revised version of this paper, incorporating a number of comments from the community, on March 20, 2008. The link below takes you to the updated paper.

The American Council on Education (ACE) has released a working paper that sets forth guidelines for strengthening institutional ethics policies and practices. Soon after investigations began into the relationships between higher education institutions and companies in the student financial aid arena, ACE formed a working group of higher education associations to explore ways of helping colleges and universities prevent a wide range of conflicts of interest on campus. NACUBO President and CEO John Walda serves on the group.

The working paper is intended to assist colleges and universities in identifying, avoiding, and managing conflicts. The working paper is not meant to serve as a model code, nor does it dictate campus policies and practices. Rather, the paper identifies conflict issues that each campus should address and outlines principles for developing effective policies and practices. Intended to facilitate discussions on this topic within the higher education community, the paper is considered a working document and may be revised periodically.

ACE Working Paper on Conflicts of Interest