The University adopts the following policy pursuant to RCW 42.52.190. It applies to any state officer or employee who, with respect to University investments or University investment policy:
The policy calls these individuals "Investment Officers." This policy requires these individuals to get prior approval of certain investments in which they have an interest.
| A. | Investments for Which Prior Written Approval is
Required An Investment Office may have a direct or indirect interest in property, security, equity, or debt instrument of a person, other than Permissible Investments, only after obtaining prior written approval of the University in accordance with this policy. |
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| B. | Permissible Investments—No Approval Required An Investment Officer (as defined below) may have a direct or indirect interest in any Permissible Investments (as defined below) without prior approval of the University. |
| A. | "Investment Officer," as used in this policy, means those individuals holding the offices,
or exercising the responsibilities, of:
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| B. | "Direct or Indirect Interest," as used in this policy, shall mean a voluntarily
acquired ownership interest. It shall include community property interests recognized under
Washington State law. It shall include interests held for the benefit of the Investment
Officer's minor children. It shall not include an interest held as trustee for the sole
benefit of others; interests held as executor or administrator of an estate; and interests
acquired involuntarily. |
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| C. | "Permissible Investments," as used in this policy, means:
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| A. | Presumptive Approval Any Investment Officer may make investments in publicly traded securities at any time, and the University hereby gives prior approval to such investments, so long as such investment is not reasonably likely to have a material effect on the market value of the securities in question, the investment is not undertaken due to nonpublic information acquired by the Investment Officer as a result of his or her employment duties by the University, and the investment is not undertaken to alter the management or corporate structure of the business in question. |
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| B. | Summary Approval Any Investment Officer may invest in entities in which the University does not invest, and the University hereby gives prior approval to such investments to any Investment Officer who obtains written confirmation from the Treasurer that, as of the date of such investment, the University has no investment in such entity, nor any present intent to invest in such entity. |
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| C. | Request for Approval Any Investment Officer (other than the Regents, the President, the Provost, and the Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities) who acquires an investment which requires University approval under this policy, shall request approval by sending a written request to the Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities. The request should describe the investment, its approximate value, the University's interest in the entity, and the circumstances and timing of the proposed acquisition. The Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities, the President, the Provost, and any individual Regent shall, with respect to investments requiring University approval, request approval by the Chair of the Finance, Audit and Facilities Committee of the Board of Regents by sending a written request describing the investment, its approximate value, the University's interest in the entity, and the circumstances and timing of the proposed acquisition, to the Secretary of the Board of Regents. The Chair of the Finance, Audit and Facilities Committee shall request approval, in the same manner, from the President of the Board of Regents. |
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| D. | Grant or Denial of Approval Within two business days, the Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities, the Chair of the Finance, Audit and Facilities Committee of the Board of Regents, or the President of the Board, as appropriate, or their designees, shall evaluate the proposed investment by applying the criteria listed in Section 5 of this policy, and shall grant or deny approval in writing. Their respective decisions shall be final. |
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| E. | Record Keeping The Senior Vice President for Finance and Facilities and the Secretary to the Board of Regents shall each maintain records sufficient to document compliance with this policy. The records and information received by the University in the course of implementing and administrating this policy shall be maintained by the University in confidence, and shall be shielded from disclosure to the extent allowed by law. All reviewing personnel shall be advised of this requirement, and failure to abide by it shall be regarded as a serious breach of duty to the University. |
In evaluating an Investment Officer's request for approval of an investment, the approving officer shall consider:
| A. | The relationship, if any, between the proposed investment and investments
held or under consideration by the University; |
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| B. | The size and timing of the proposed investment; |
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| C. | Access by the Investment Officer to nonpublic information relative to the proposed
investment; and |
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| D. | The availability of the investment to members of the general public with comparable
assets to invest. |
University employees and officers may not use nonpublic financial information acquired by virtue of their state positions for personal gain.
BR, February 1996; October 17, 1997; RC, April 23, 2013.