SUBJECT:

On-Line Ethics Briefing

An online Ethics Briefing, required for all UC employees, will be launched tomorrow, April 4, at UCSD. The purpose of this briefing is to familiarize all UC employees with the Statement of Ethical Values and Standards of Ethical Conduct, which were adopted by the UC Regents in May 2005.

President Dynes and the Regents have asked each campus and medical center to participate in this ethics briefing. President Dynes noted that "it's important that we're all going through this same material together to give us a common frame of reference for further dialogue about ethical behavior at UC."

Many of us at UCSD have already taken this briefing and view it as a valuable step in our ongoing efforts to foster a culture in which ethics is broadly valued. In early April, those who have not already been asked to take it will receive an email containing instructions and a personalized link to the thirty-minute briefing.

All university employees, including student employees, are required to take the briefing, either online or through a scheduled in-person class. A Spanish version of the online briefing is available. Additional information regarding the in-person classes will follow.

Please visit the UC Ethics Website
(http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/compliance/ethics) for more information on the Statement of Ethical Values and Standards of Ethical Conduct, and links to UC ethics resources. Also, if you have any questions regarding the briefing, please go to the UCSD Ethics Program web site on Blink at http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/ethicsanswers.

The tradition of excellence at UCSD has always included high standards of ethical behavior for faculty, staff, and students. Ultimately, how we act as individuals is not only based on compliance with laws and policies, but also on our cultural norms and values. This UC-developed Ethics Briefing is only one component of a larger strategy to promote a dialogue about factors that will sustain ethical decision-making at UCSD. I've appointed a committee, chaired by Donald Larson, Controller, and Michael Kalichman, Director of the Research Ethics Program, to lead this effort. UCSD's already excellent reputation in higher education, research, and healthcare can only benefit from such a broad approach.

Marye Anne Fox Chancellor