ROWAN UNIVERSITY POLICY

Title: Technology Ownership Policy
Subject: Information Resources and Technology
Policy No: IRT:2018:01
Applies: University-Wide
Issuing Authority: Senior Vice President for Information Resources and Technology and Chief Information Officer
Responsible Officer: Director of Operations
Adopted: 06/18/2018
Last Revision: 04/24/2019
Last Reviewed: 04/24/2019

I. PURPOSE

This policy defines ownership of all technology assets purchased with Rowan University funds.

II. ACCOUNTABILITY

Under the direction of the President, Provost, the Chief Information Officer and the Director of Information Security shall ensure compliance with this policy. The Vice Presidents, Deans, and other members of management shall implement this policy in their respective areas.

III.  APPLICABILITY

This policy applies to all Rowan University employees.

IV. DEFINITIONS

Refer to Rowan University Technology Terms and Definitions for terms and definitions that are used in this policy.

V.   POLICY

1. Ownership of Technology

1. Any technology, including, but not limited to, computer hardware (e.g. laptop, desktop, tablet, cellular device, etc.), software, or peripherals (printer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, cables, etc.) purchased with University Funds (e.g. Department Funds, Research Funds) is the property of Rowan University and remains the property of the University for the entire life cycle of the product or service.

2. All technology purchases must be delivered to the Information Resources & Technology (IRT) campus location before deployment to ensure that the items are properly configured to comply with the University’s security and technology policies.

3. A record of all technology purchases will be kept for each device in the central University Asset Database in ServiceNow and all assets are subject to periodic review to ensure proof of possession.

4. IRT will perform yearly audits of assets to ensure records of device ownership remain accurate.

2. Employee Responsibility

1. It is the responsibility of all University staff using University technology to conform to all University technology policies and guidelines.  At no time may the employee take personal possession of University technology.

2. If for any reason an employee separates from the University, it is the responsibility of that employee and their supervisor to ensure that all technology is returned to Rowan University at the time of employee separation, unless the employee and supervisor have received approval following guidelines defined by a specific policy, such as section V.h.v of the  Cellular Device Policy.

3. Any employee not returning Rowan University technology is subject to sanctions as described in Section VI.

3. Supervisor Responsibility

1. It is the responsibility of University supervisors to report all change of ownership of Rowan-owned technology to IRT within 10 days of the change of ownership.  Examples of change of ownership include, but are not limited to:

1. Employee separation from the University

2. Employee changes position within the University

3. Technology in the office is reallocated to a new employee

4. In cases where an employee separates from the University, the supervisor must contact IRT immediately.   IRT will confirm all of the employee’s equipment has been returned to the University. IRT will also collect all of the employee’s Rowan technology.  This technology will be returned to the department when the position has been rehired

5. End of Lifecycle Technology

1. Technology that has reached the end of its life will be disposed of following university guidelines

2. Technology that has reached the end of its life will not be supported or permitted on the network and will be handled according to university guidelines defined by a specific policy, such as the Workstation Use and Security Policy for computers.

VI.  POLICY COMPLIANCE

Any University employee who fails to return University-owned Technology before their final date of separation must return all University devices within 10 business days of their final date of employment at their own personal cost. If the employee fails to return University-owned devices, they will be charged the initial cost of the item. Employees may also be subject to penalties stipulated in applicable state and federal statutes. Sanctions shall be applied consistently to all violators regardless of job titles or level in the organization per the Acceptable Use Policy.

By Direction of the CIO: 

Mira Lalovic-Hand, 
SVP and Chief Information Officer