Employee Resources

Whistleblower Policy

University of the Potomac requires all employees to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. The University is committed to conducting its affairs in full compliance with the law and with its own policies and procedures. The University has a responsibility to investigate and, where appropriate, report allegations of suspected improper conduct.

This policy governs reporting and investigations of allegations of suspected improper conduct. The University encourages employees, faculty, and others to use the guidance set forth in this policy to report all allegations of suspected improper conduct on a timely basis. This policy provides for confidentiality and confirms that any person who makes a good faith report of suspected improper conduct or who participates in the investigations of such a report will be protected from retaliation by the University or anyone within its control.

Any allegations of improper conduct that may result in disciplinary action against an employee shall be coordinated with the applicable policies. In all cases, the University shall exercise its discretion in determining when circumstances warrant investigation and, in compliance with this policy, the appropriate investigative process to be employed.

This policy is intended to supplement the requirements of the whistleblower protection laws applicable to the University’s operations. In the event of any inconsistency between the terms of this policy and applicable law, applicable law shall control.

Reporting Allegations of Suspected Improper Conduct – Filing a Report

Any person may report allegations of suspected improper conduct. Knowledge or suspicion of improper conduct may originate from academic personnel, staff or administrators, students, auditors, law enforcement, regulatory agencies, customers, vendors, or other third parties. Reports of suspected improper conduct should be made in writing to ensure a clear understanding of the issues raised. Reports should focus on facts, avoiding speculations and drawing conclusions. Including as much specific information as possible will facilitate the evaluation of the nature, extent and urgency of preliminary investigative procedures.

STEP 1:

Employees of the University are encouraged to report allegations of improper conduct to the employee’s immediate supervisor or other appropriate administrator or manager within the department.

STEP 2:

If an employee believes there is a potential conflict of interest or does not feel comfortable reporting suspected improper conduct to one of these individuals within their department or is not satisfied with the response they receive, the employee should report suspected improper conduct to someone in the Human Resources Department and/or the Chief Compliance Officer.

STEP 3:

When the employee is not satisfied or uncomfortable with the process above, individuals should use the whistleblower platform: https://faceup.com/c/x5za4pwd. Simply enter University of the Potomac’s code: IqJkSyZ5w2.

The reports can be made anonymously, and the case recipients can be selected. The recipient(s) will assign the investigator(s) based on the selected case category. Once you submit the report you will receive a case code. You can log back into faceup at any time and track the progress of your report. This case code is also useful for another reason. If the person who received your report needs more information they can reach out and ask more questions while your anonymity remains protected.

The University recommends that people who are not employees of the University submit reports to the Human Resources Department and/or the Chief Compliance Officer at hr@potomac.edu.

Students must follow the Grievance Policy and Procedures.

The complete policy can be found in the shared Human Resources folder.