Endorsement Procedure – 63.09.17
College Policy Number/Title:
Per the Maryland Ethics Law, Howard Community College employees are prohibited from intentionally using the prestige of their office, which includes the college’s time, facilities, or resources, for their personal gain or the gain of another. As such, college employees are prohibited from participating in any public marketing-related activities that could be construed as endorsing or promoting a vendor, contractor, or other non-college entity seeking to financially benefit from the college’s endorsement. The college may be listed as a client on vendor client lists, so long as the client list includes no testimonial regarding the vendor’s products or services.
If a vendor wants to use the college logo on its website, the request must be reviewed by the office of public relations and marketing. A terms of use will be necessary to ensure that the logo is used only in a manner that aligns with college policies and procedures, as well as brand guidelines.
Summaries of ethics law can be found in both policy 63.09, Ethics and Conduct, and procedure 63.09.14, Employee Code of Conduct. The full law can be viewed on the State Ethics Commission’s web page.
Effective Date: 12/11/20
President's Office Use: CHRO/EDPRM