Memorandum #218 – Royalties and Other Compensations or Incentives Related to Selection of Course Materials

Faculty and academic departments must abide by all applicable laws in the selection of course materials, including Pennsylvania’s College Textbook Affordability, Accountability and Accessibility Act. Under this Act, faculty members and academic departments are prohibited from receiving royalty payments or other compensations or incentives as an inducement for selecting specific course materials to be used in a class, unless those course materials are an original work by the faculty member or academic department. This prohibition does not include the receipt by a faculty member or academic department of sample copies, instructor’s copies, or instructional material.

Faculty must also comply with academic department procedures, the College’s Conflict of Interest Policy (#212), and the College’s Solicitation in Campus Facilities Policy (#158).

Effective – May 2, 2017