1.    Policy Statement

Except with prior written approval by the Assistant Vice President for Marketing, an employee of the University of Florida (UF) may not participate in any commercial Testimonial, Endorsement, Promotion or similar activity, in any form of media—including, but not limited to print, radio, TV and social media—in a manner that either directly or indirectly: (1) indicates that such employee is doing so on behalf of UF; or (2) uses UF Assets.

The names of UF and UF Health are University of Florida property owned by the Board of Trustees of the University of Florida and are managed by the UF administration to ensure these and other university Assets are used for the benefit of the institution. Management of UF’s Assets by a responsible campus officer can reduce exposure to legal and reputational risk, ensure employees follow ethical standards, and align the promotion of UF’s image with its communication goals and strategies.

2.    Applicability

All University, UF Direct Support Organization, UF Health, and Shands employees as defined herein.

3.    Definitions

Assets: any tangible or intangible property, items, programs, services, or activities owned by UF that could provide a benefit to a third party. These include, but are not limited to, the UF and UF Health names, trademarks, service marks, logos, signage, social media channels, and websites.

Employee:  Any University of Florida, UF Direct Support Organization, UF Health, or Shands, non-exempt or exempt employee in research, academic, or administrative positions, including Technical, Executive, Administrative and Managerial Support (TEAMS) staff; University Support Personnel System (USPS) staff; and Other Support Personnel (OSP) as defined in University of Florida Regulation 1.100, Postdoctoral Associates, and Graduate Assistants.

Endorsement: any action that suggests or implies UF’s public approval or support of other organizations, companies, products, services, political parties or views, or religious organizations or beliefs.

Promotion: the act of raising public awareness of an organization, company, product, service, political party or view, or religious organization or belief. Promotion refers to external communication with an individual or entity outside of the University that is intended to be viewed by the general public.

Testimonial: a formal, public statement concerning the attributes of an organization or the efficacy of the organization’s products, goods, services, views, or beliefs.

4.    Policy Specifics

Except with prior written approval by the Assistant Vice President for Marketing, an Employee shall not participate in any commercial Testimonial, Endorsement, Promotion or similar activity in any form of media—including, but not limited to print, radio, TV, and social media—in a manner that either directly or indirectly: (1) indicates or suggests such employee is doing so on behalf of UF; or (2) uses UF Assets.

Employees may provide factual information about UF’s use of commercial products or services, or about relationships between UF employees and representatives of external entities. They shall not, however, offer any value judgment about the quality of the commercial product, service, organization, or person on behalf of UF unless specifically authorized to do so.

Before granting approval for any third party to utilize UF Assets in any Testimonials, Endorsements, or Promotions, UF reserves the right to examine a copy of the text, images, and context of the project in advance to ensure it contains no inaccurate or misleading information. UF may, at its sole discretion,  deny approval or prevent an Employee’s participation in cases where the project does not benefit UF.

If consent to participate in a Testimonial, Endorsement, or Promotion is granted by the Assistant Vice President for Marketing, it is the Employee’s responsibility to complete all necessary Report of Outside Activity and Conflict of Commitment and Conflicts of Interest requirements.  The employee must also comply with all applicable laws as well as UF’s policies and procedures.

This policy does not prohibit or limit Employees’ rights to free speech as citizens, nor does this policy prohibit or limit faculty members’ academic freedom. See Policy on Political Campaigning on Campus, Freedom of Expression Statement. See also Policy on Conflicts of Commitment and Conflicts of Interest.

5.    Review and Adjudication

Requests and submissions must be sent to the Assistant Vice President for Marketing for review and adjudication. The AVP for Marketing may consult with the Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing and the AVP for Communications.

6.    Policy Violations

If a violation of this policy is identified, individuals or units will be required to work with the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing to determine the action needed, which may include redesign of print or electronic materials. With respect to all violations of this policy, the University reserves its right to seek appropriate remedies under applicable UF policies or federal or state law.

7.    Questions

Please direct any questions concerning this policy to:

Steve Orlando, Interim Vice President for Strategic Communications and Marketing
sfo@ufl.edu

History