Confidentiality Guidelines

School of Kinesiology Confidentiality Guidelines*

Information management is a crucial component of the faculty evaluation process. This includes information developed and received about candidates and external reviewers. Our handling of this information is important to maintain high-quality faculty, to encourage candor and avoid putting faculty in jeopardy among their colleagues, to protect the School of Kinesiology’s (“School”) integrity, and to keep us in compliance with our promises to candidates and external reviewers.  

In consideration of my participation as a candidate under review, casebook/dossier reviewer, and/or executive committee member for the School, I attest that I have read and understand the expectations and responsibilities:

1. My responsibility to protect the integrity of the School, related to all faculty candidates and external reviewers is critical to the review process.

2.  Any appearance of real or potential conflict of interest in a relationship between myself and a candidate or external reviewer should be disclosed promptly to the Dean, the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, or appropriate administrator.  Disclosure should occur as early as possible, but no later than the start of the meeting.

3.  Authorized access to information (whether oral, written, or electronic) should only be used for the performance of the responsibilities as a reviewer and/or committee member and should not be disclosed except as permitted under applicable University policy and on a strict need-to-know basis. This obligation to avoid such disclosure continues even after the review is completed and even if I leave the employment of the School, or the University of Michigan.

4.  When discussing information with other reviewers and/or committee members, it is important to keep the conversation private and to prevent being overheard by others who are not authorized to have access to such information.

5.  It is important to be fair, accurate, honest, and responsible in management of information germane to the review process and guard against inaccuracies, carelessness, bias, and distortion made by either emphasis or omission of information.

6.  Should controversial subjects arise they will be handled calmly, respectfully, and professionally.

7.  It is important to report to the Dean, the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, or appropriate administrator if I become aware that others have broken the confidentiality covered by these guidelines.

8.  Violations of this confidentiality or other University policies related to the appropriate release or disclosure of information may result in one or more sanctions, including immediate termination of my access to that information, removal from committee membership, and/or disciplinary action as deemed appropriate by a School administrator and in accordance with University policy.

9.  If I am a candidate for promotion or undergoing a third-year review, I will not ask other faculty or staff for confidential information about my case such as, but not limited to, names of external reviewers, copies of or summaries of external review letters, nature of the discussion of the promotion or review case, who voted or abstained, how faculty voted, etc.

 10.  If a candidate asks me for confidential information about their promotion case or third-year review such as, but not limited to, names of external reviewers, copies of or summaries of external review letters, nature of the discussion of the promotion case or review, who voted or abstained, how faculty voted, etc., I will decline to provide it.

*Promotion, tenure, third-year review, and faculty annual merit review