Academic and Intellectual Freedom and Freedom of Expression. City Tech practices its commitment to academic and intellectual freedom in adherence to The City University of New York’s policies and related documentation (CUNY Manual of General Policy – Policy 1.02 Academic Freedom, CUNY Guide to Academic Freedom). The City Tech website links to appropriate CUNY policies. These documents include a thorough review of policies, including the definitions of terms, a historical perspective, statements on the importance of academic freedom, related language from the CUNY-PSC Collective Bargaining Agreement, and resolutions of support for academic freedom by the governing body of PSC-CUNY. City Tech affirms its commitment to freedom of expression through adherence to CUNY policy on Freedom of Expression (Proposed CUNY Policy on Freedom of Expression and Expressive Conduct, CUNY Statement in Support of Policy on Freedom of Expression and Expressive Conduct, CUNY Statement on the Freedom of Student Expression)

Intellectual Property Rights. The institution’s commitment to intellectual property rights is reflected by its adherence to CUNY’s Intellectual Property (IP) policy (CUNY Intellectual Property Policy). This policy addresses the definition, ownership, and rights of access to copyrightable and other intellectual property assets produced at, or with the assets of, or in the scope of, employment at the University or the CUNY Research Foundation. The policy also describes administration and management of CUNY IP assets. The creators of copyrightable assets retain ownership of such assets; CUNY retains all rights to all other IP assets produced at the University. Exceptions to this general rule, for example, IP generated through sponsored research or commissioned work, are fully described in the IP Policy.

Academic and Research Integrity. City Tech demonstrates its commitment to academic integrity through its academic integrity policy (Academic Integrity Policy Manual – City Tech; CUNY Policy Academic Integrity), which in turn is founded upon the CUNY policy. Every course syllabus contains the college’s academic integrity statement; workshops are held for faculty on how to promote academic integrity in student work and for students on what academic integrity means. An Academic Integrity Committee of faculty reviews and adjudicates reported violations. The college’s Academic Integrity Officer, a faculty member designated by the president, tracks academic integrity complaints and their outcomes, looking for trends and identifying areas needing improvement (Academic Integrity Data). Ethics is also woven throughout the curriculum as a goal of general education, not only to meet the requirements of accrediting agencies but also because the college is committed to preparing ethical citizens.

City Tech is committed to advancing research conducted by faculty. Responsible conduct in research is governed by the CUNY Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) (HRPP Policies & Procedures). This program provides oversight, administrative support, and training to ensure that CUNY research complies with federal and State regulations and University policy, and meets the highest ethical standards. Research involving human subjects requires Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. Faculty and students involved in research must be certified through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI), a research ethics education board, before submitting an IRB application. Applications for IRB approval, required by all federal funding agencies, are submitted to City Tech HRPP Officer for review. Final approval on IRB applications for research conducted outside City Tech is provided through the Office of the Provost. Information on the IRB approval process and responsible conduct in research is included in the yearlong orientation for new faculty. City Tech also complies with CUNY’s Research Misconduct Policy (CUNY Policy on Research Misconduct 2015).

City Tech has been cited in US News & World Report as the most ethnically diverse school in the Northeast US in its 2017-2018 Regional Colleges survey, (Campus Ethnic Diversity 2018). The college’s strong commitment to fostering a climate of respect is affirmed in the Mission Statement: “…As a community City Tech nurtures an atmosphere of inclusion, respect, and open-mindedness in which all members can flourish” (Mission Statement_Fall 2017 Catalog). It is further affirmed by a central goal of all co-curricular activities sponsored by the Office of Student Life and Development: Diversity Education. The commitment is reinforced again by general education learning goal #4 found in the mission statement that reads, “…students will…understand and apply values, ethics, and diverse perspectives in personal, professional, civic, and cultural/global domains.” Every City Tech graduate is expected to meet this goal. The college has in place consistent and regular mechanisms for training the community in matters of respect and tolerance as well as procedures for addressing incidents of reported violations (CUNY Workplace Violence Prevention Training 2017, Title IX Training, CUNY Policy Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination; CUNY Policy Against Drugs and Alcohol 2011; Reaffirmation of Diversity and Equal Opportunity – 2017; CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct; CUNY Policy Campus and Workplace Violence Prevention; CUNY Domestic Violence and the Workplace Policy; CUNY Policy Against Drugs and Alcohol 2011;  Wellness Center On-Campus Services; Center for Student Accessibility; Veterans Support Services; COPE Program; City Tech Affirmative Action Plan 2016-2017) Additional evidence of inclusivity includes restroom signs declaring use by gender self-identification. Information about disabilities services provided by the Student Accessibility Office is widely disseminated (Center for Student Accessibility).

Grievance Policies. While the college proactively seeks to avoid all instances of perceived discrimination or other manifestations of unfair practices, when such instances do arise there exists a well-defined set of policies and procedures for addressing grievances. The college documents its grievance policies in multiple sources of literature including: CUNY Policy Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination; CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct; Enough is Enough; Title IX Web Page; CUNY Bylaws Article XV – Students; CUNY Students Bill of Rights; CUNY Procedures Student Complaints Faculty Conduct; CUNY Policy Campus and Workplace Violence Prevention; CUNY Domestic Violence and the Workplace Policy; CUNY Policy Against Drugs and Alcohol; CUNY Policy on Reporting Alleged Misconduct; CUNY Work/Life Program; City Tech Student Handbook 15.4, 15.5 and following; Catalog 2017-2018; City Tech Grade Appeals Policy (in Catalog 2017-2018, p 30); CUNY-PSC Collective Bargaining Agreement 2007-2010; CUNY PSC MOA 2010-2017). A summary of relevant policies and the responsible office follows.

TABLE II.1:  Process for Resolving Student Grievances

Student Satisfaction with Grievance Processes. The Office of Assessment and Institutional Research has conducted surveys and focus groups to assess the effectiveness of the grievance process from the students’ perspective. Results are posted on the AIR Surveys site, along with results of the Noel Levitz SSI and the CUNY Student Experience survey. Findings reveal that, of students surveyed, roughly:

72% reported awareness of right to complain; only 26% claim to know complaint procedure;

50% knew of right to complain about student services, college facilities, or other students;

25% reported discomfort with filing complaints about student experience, college facilities, particular members of the faculty, or other students;

30% expressed confidence that complaints would be addressed; and

25% believed their filing a complaint might adversely affect their college careers.

(Middle States Student Survey Report, Fall 2016)

TABLE II.2: Grievance Processes Available to Faculty and Staff

These policies call for timely resolution of grievances after a thorough investigation.

Conflict of Interest Policy. City Tech endeavors to maintain high standards of ethics and integrity as demonstrated by its compliance with the University’s and the state’s policies on conflicts of interest.

As state employees, City Tech employees are subject to §94 of the New York State Executive Law and §73, et al. of New York State Public Officers Law and Civil Service Law §107, which covers business or professional activities, including financial disclosure and ethics. These sections promulgate a common goal–to prevent conflicts of interest. Section 73-a requires certain categories of employees to file an annual financial disclosure statement that includes, among other things, outside activities. In addition to state law, CUNY possesses a Conflicts of Interest Policy that applies to all employees. (Conflict of Interest Policy, Public Officers Law 73 JCOPE, Public Officers Law 74, Civil Service Law 107)

Two categories of employees must file an Annual Financial Disclosure Statement with New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE): those earning a threshold salary set by the State and those who hold policy-making positions ) the President, Vice Presidents, all members of the President’s Cabinet, Deans, Academic Department Chairs, and Directors within the Offices of the Vice Presidents. Filers must also take a Comprehensive Ethics Training Course every three years. To aid in the education of all employees and students, the Ethics Officer distributes biannual ethics newsletters issued by JCOPE (Ethics Review Newsletter Vol 2 Issue 2). Employees with outside employment must obtain approval from the President if the compensation is greater than $1000; and from both the president and JCOPE if greater than $5000. The Ethics Officer certifies annually to JCOPE that all required filers have been notified of their responsibility; JCOPE informs the Ethics Officer when employees are delinquent and may be subject to penalties including fines,

Role of Ethics Officer. Pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order No. 1–Establishment of Ethical Conduct Guidelines, the president named the college’s Special Counsel as its first Ethics Officer in 2007. The position is responsible for compliance with this Executive Order in three specific areas: Prohibition Against Receipt of Gifts, Prohibition Against Use of State Property, and Prohibition Against Nepotism in Hiring and Contracting. (Legal & Compliance Training)  Faculty, staff, and students can raise concerns and report potential conflicts of interests to the Ethics Officer, who investigates the matter. Employees who would be more comfortable in reporting conflicts, concerns, or misconduct outside of City Tech for fear of retaliation may reach out to CUNY’s Chief Compliance Officer, who also accepts anonymous reports.

Responsibilities of the Office of Faculty and Staff Relations (OFSR). OFSR oversees recruitment and hiring of teaching and non-teaching instructional staff and other ancillary and support employees. OFSR also coordinates and maintains records of performance evaluation and promotion processes, as well as employee and faculty discipline matters. To ensure fairness in hiring faculty, managerial, and administrative staff, diverse search committees are formed. Classified staff vacancies are filled from mandatory hiring pools made up of all candidates meeting minimum fitness criteria for the position.

The college’s faculty and administrative staff search process is monitored and guided by the chief diversity officer (CDO). Once the personnel vacancy notice is completed and approved, a Recruitment Plan (RP) is developed, noting any underutilization considerations and listing the committee members, to allow the CDO to determine whether the committee is sufficiently diverse. The CDO certifies the applicant and may reject a pool lacking diversity. In charging the search committee the CDO informs them of any minority or gender underutilization in the field of study based on national data, and addresses ways to avoid unconscious biases in the selection process. After the position is filled, the CDO maintains applicant and interview data obtained from the search committee chair by completing the “Diversity Data Search Form.” Of 29 new faculty members hired during the 2015-2016 academic year, 45% are from underrepresented groups and almost 60% are women. The CDO submits to CUNY an annual Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) pursuant to Executive Order 11246. The AAP provides the college community and the public with voluminous documentation of City Tech’s diversity data, explanations, history, and goals (City Tech Affirmative Action Plan 2016-2017).

Promotion, discipline and separation practices are clearly established by written procedure as well as provided for in various labor contract provisions (CUNY-PSC Collective Bargaining Agreement 2007-2010, CUNY PSC MOA 2010-2017, Instructional Staff Handbook, City Tech Governance Plan). In all instances, several individuals or review committees make recommendations before final decisions are made. In addition, OFSR ensures that discipline rules are fairly and consistently applied. The office advises managers on discipline matters and provides them with supervisory tools to guide and support the improvement of their employee when a less formal corrective action plan is warranted. Where issues involve employee grievances, the College’s Labor Designee is responsible for adhering to the terms of the labor contract. These matters are regularly reviewed: labor contracts are renegotiated roughly every seven years; the review of college procedures occurs annually.

In order to promote truth in internal communications, relevant and accurate institutional data, public safety, etc. are posted on the college website  (Public Safety – Crime Statistics, City Tech AIR Home Page, Performance Management – CUNY)- Only upper level administrators have access to pre-established email groups that include “Everyone,” “Faculty Full-time,” “Faculty Part-time,” etc. Computer Information Services will notify all users of malware and other online attacks received on City Tech email accounts. The college maintains email records, which can be accessed if concerns arise.

In order to assure honesty, accuracy and truthfulness in public relations announcements, IPEDS or CUNY data is used if available. Press releases are developed by the Communication Office, overseen by the special assistant to the president. Before release, articles are vetted for accuracy by the subject(s) of the article, and the appropriate dean and vice-president. (City Tech News press releases).

Similarly, advertisements and brochures prepared for recruitment purposes are prepared by the departments, and reviewed by the dean, New Student Center and Transfer Office directors, and the special assistant to the president, before dissemination. Admission to the college is centralized at the CUNY Office of Admissions through the University Application Processing Center (UAPC) that also disseminates materials to applicants. In order to provide relevant, truthful and easily accessible information to current and prospective students, tabs for each are available on the college home page. Student Right to Know Information is available at Consumer Information and includes the cost of attendance. The Office of Assessment and Institutional Research website provides detailed and longitudinal metrics of student success including enrollment, retention, graduation rates, grade distributions and survey results. Information provided to students is discussed in detail in Standard IV. In general, places in majors are available to all qualified students; however, students must apply to competitive health-professional majors where enrollment is capped due to the limited number of clinical sites (dental hygiene, nursing and radiological technology), after completing prerequisite courses. The admissions requirements and the historical GPAs needed for admission, in the mid 3s, are stated in the departmental descriptions in the catalog (Catalog 2017-2018, page 148, 177 and 184, respectively). These departments also offer Information Sessions and provide advisement to potential students.

A critical aspect of CUNY’s mission is to make a great education accessible and affordable, with nearly 80% of graduates debt-free (The CUNY Value). To inform its students, City Tech’s Office of Financial Aid provides a document entitled Financial Literacy, empowering students with knowledge and skills to make sound decisions related to budgeting, borrowing, and loan repayment strategies. Because approximately 70% of City Tech students have annual family incomes below $30K (Financial Literacy, College Fact Sheet), however, the college’s ability to ensure that students graduate debt-free is highly dependent on the availability of financial aid and the ability of the Financial Aid Office to optimize financial aid packages to the advantage of the student. The Office of Financial Aid provides financial aid information on all programs: Federal Pell Grant, SEOG, Perkins Loan, Direct Loans, TAP, and APTS programs. Applicants and current students may view and download information from the City Tech website on a variety of financial aid topics, including viewing instructional videos on how to complete the FAFSA, how to create an FSA ID, determining their dependency status, and what happens after completing the FAFSA (Financial Aid Instructional Videos). Prospective students and families may also access the CUNY Net Price Calculator to calculate the financial aid award they may receive if they attend City Tech. (Financial Aid Estimator)

Students who demonstrate need and are facing a current unexpected emergency may apply for gap funding from the Petrie Foundation. The Counseling Services Center assists students to apply. They also offer financial literacy workshops to explore funding resources and learn money management (Counseling Workshop Schedule).

Entering freshmen, continuing students, and transfer students can find a variety of scholarship information on the Scholarship and Residency Services website (Scholarships & Grants). Many of these scholarships are based on academic merit and/or financial need. For example, the college has been awarded several NSF S-STEM grants for scholarships for students who show promise in STEM.

Finally, as the cost of textbooks continues to rise, students are increasingly unable to afford essential instructional materials. City Tech’s Library has been a leader within CUNY in developing an OER (Open Educational Resources) initiative, which now involves many departments and offers free instructional materials in high enrollment courses like General Biology and mathematics (OER Course Conversion List).

These services are also discussed in Standard IV.

1. full disclosure of information on institution-wide assessments, graduation, retention, certification, licensure or licensing board pass rates;
2. the institution’s compliance with Commission’s Requirements of Affiliation; Criterion 6 Standard II
3. substantive changes affecting institutional mission, goals, programs, operations, sites, and other material issues which must be disclosed in a timely and accurate fashion;
4. the institution’s compliance with the Commission’s policies;

The Ethics and Integrity and Verification of Compliance working groups collaborated in evaluating compliance. Institution-wide data on graduation, retention, certification, and licensure pass rates are found on the Assessment and Institutional Research (City Tech AIR Home Page) and Student Right to Know (Consumer Information) websites. The institution has documented compliance with the Commission’s Requirements of Affiliation and is in compliance with the Commission’s policies. There have been no substantive changes affecting the institutional mission, goals, operations, and sites. The new catalog providing new information on programs and other materials are posted and made available prior to registration.

Multiple levels of periodic assessment of ethics and integrity are built into the fabric of the college. As part of the annual reporting of goals and targets with outcomes, surveys such as the Noel-Levitz, NSSE, and CUNY Student Experience Survey and institutional data are regularly reviewed, with planning and actions taken as needed. Administrators and heads of departments regularly review and update college documents to assure accuracy and full disclosure. The annual Affirmative Action Plan is a used as a vehicle to assure ethics and integrity in hiring. As employees of New York State, members of both the instructional staff and non-instructional staff are subject to limitations on employment outside the University. University and college procedure requires regular assessment of compliance with these limitations. Department chairs and members of the instructional staff file “Multiple Position Reports” each term as required by New York State for purposes of both reminding members of the faculty of their primary instructional responsibility to the University and discovering and addressing any violations of policy concerning other employment. Non-instructional staff must also file reports that indicate compliance with NYS limitations on employment positions in addition to full-time status at the college.

Shared norms of civility, community, and equity will continue to shape the climate of the college. All employees are expected to exemplify high standards of personal and professional behavior and to model that behavior in interactions with students. When students, faculty, or staff members feel their rights have been violated, the legal protections available to all members of the college community may be invoked.

Communications related to the implementation of college policies has been identified as an area in need of improvement. A recurring theme in the investigation and analysis of ethics and integrity was that while the standard was met, information on a particular topic was sometimes described partially in multiple locations and could be difficult to piece together and understand. The college should redouble its effort to publicize college policies and procedures for reporting complaints as widely as possible online and in all academic and student affairs offices. Procedures to address consumer complaints arising from services provided by the registrar, academic advisement, financial aid, and other student services-oriented units should also be publicized clearly and comprehensively.

Improve scope, documentation, and transparency in the complaint resolution process

(Standard II)

Ensure clarity for all constituents regarding the processes for addressing stakeholder concerns:

Enhance efforts to publicize complaint policies and procedures consistently online, and in all academic, student affairs, and business services offices, including those policies that are based on law, statute or regulations, i.e., Title IX, Sexual Harassment, Health and Safety;

Make clear that CUNY and the College have established policies and procedures that address rights of the members of the community to communicate complaints;

Capture and utilize these data effectively for institutional improvement