The College is judged by the collective and individual performance of its officers and employees. The College has a particular interest in preserving its reputation and the reputation of its employees for the utmost honesty and integrity. Thus, the College holds itself and its employees to the highest standards of lawful and ethical conduct.
Employees must refrain from engaging in any activity that could be in conflict with their status as a College employee. This includes the use of their position with the College for personal profit or advantage or entering into transactions or relationships where it may appear an employee has a conflict of interest, is improperly benefiting from their affiliation with the College, or are violating laws governing fiduciary relationships. For example, employees should not use the College’s name or his/her employment status in any way to legitimatize an opinion about the merit of a business undertaking, the value of any invention, the sponsorship of an organization, the support of a political candidate, any commercial venture or enterprise, or any endeavor that, in the College’s sole determination, could bring discredit to the College.
Conflict of interest arises when an employee is unable to exercise independence of judgment because of tension between their responsibility to the College and their self-interest. In small institutions like Wilmington College, where individuals are often asked to play a variety of roles, actual or potential conflict of interest problems may arise more frequently than in larger settings where responsibilities can be divided among a larger number of persons.
Employees with questions about the propriety of a transaction or activity should seek guidance from the supervisor or member of the Senior Leadership team of the College. If necessary, the employee should seek written approval. The employee should make a full disclosure of the underlying facts and circumstances and proceed to act only after approval is obtained. In some instances, an employee with a conflict of interested may be required to withdraw from participating in or making a decision.