IntegrityStar, March 2026 edition
As UCF continues its mission to unleash the potential of people and ideas, our commitment to fostering a strong culture of ethics and compliance remains at the forefront. Every two years, the university conducts a comprehensive Compliance and Ethics Culture Survey that allows us to better understand the ethical climate on campus. In 2026, we once again invite all employees to share their voices and help shape the future of our institution.
To show our appreciation for your participation, we will be awarding prizes to randomly selected participants. After you submit the survey, simply take a photo or screen image of the final page confirming the recording of your survey and submit that image to complianceandethics@ucf.edu to be entered into the prize drawing. Winners will be randomly selected at the conclusion of the survey during the week of April 13, 2026.
A Legacy of Listening and Improving
The 2026 Culture Survey builds on nearly a decade of continuous assessment and improvement.
- In 2016, the inaugural survey served as a baseline for understanding employee perceptions and provided information on perceptions of misconduct reporting, awareness of policies, and familiarity with key resources such as the UCF IntegrityLine. Insights from that survey helped to form initiatives such as the UCF IntegrityStar, the UCF Employee Code of Conduct, enhanced training modules, increased outreach, and more intentional communication efforts.
- In 2018, employees reported having greater awareness of the various compliance and ethics resources available to them, including the new UCF Employee Code of Conduct containing the UCF Ethical Standards and ethical decision-making framework.
- In 2020, UCF partnered with Ethisphere, a respected third‑party ethics organization, to ensure greater benchmarking capabilities. This allowed the university to compare its cultural strengths and improvement areas against national organizations, which exceeded the benchmark in two areas. Awareness levels continued to increase on program resources. Using correlating data from the 2019 IntegrityLine report, the need to improve respectful interactions in the workplace was identified and through collaboration with Human Resources, the office developed and implemented a communication, training, and awareness campaign to address civility.
- In 2022, survey results reflected improvements in workplace civility but identified less favorable responses on perceptions of manager’s commitment to ethical conduct and protection from retaliation. The findings informed university-wide initiatives aimed at strengthening accountability, expanding training, and reinforcing our commitment to being a “best place to learn and work.”
- In 2024, the survey continued to measure perceptions of leadership, awareness of compliance expectations, comfort in reporting misconduct, and confidence in protection from retaliation. The deliberate efforts to increase civility in the workplace and training offered to managers resulted in favorable trends in both areas. In fact, perceptions of manager’s and senior leadership’s commitment to ethical conduct was the highest since 2020, and in line with the third-party benchmark.
This steady progression of data‑driven action demonstrates how seriously UCF takes its responsibility to cultivate a safe, ethical, and responsive environment.
What’s in the 2026 Compliance and Ethics Culture Survey
This year’s Culture Survey continues the tradition of gathering meaningful insights on the following:
- Strengthening Trust and Transparency – Understanding how employees view leadership integrity, communication practices, and accountability across all levels.
- Enhancing Reporting Confidence – Assessing whether employees feel safe raising concerns, reporting misconduct, and seeking help without fear of retaliation.
- Evaluating Program Awareness – Measuring how well employees understand UCF’s compliance expectations, available resources, and reporting tools.
- Tracking Long‑Term Trends – Using nearly ten years of data to identify cultural shifts and opportunities for targeted improvements in training and outreach.
As in prior years, the survey will be short, anonymous, and processed independently to ensure an unbiased analysis.
Why Your Voice Matters
Every response plays an essential role in building the ethical foundation of our campus. Past surveys have led directly to:
- Expanded training opportunities
- Increased visibility of the UCF IntegrityLine
- More robust reporting protections
- Targeted training for supervisors
- Enhanced onboarding for new employees
- Strengthened communication through campaigns and newsletters
- Improved benchmarking and alignment with national ethical standards
Your input allows UCF to identify gaps, build trust, and reinforce the shared responsibility we all have in nurturing a culture of integrity.
How to Participate
On March 9, all employees received a direct email with a link to the 2026 Compliance and Ethics Culture Survey. Completing the survey takes less than ten minutes, and all responses remain fully anonymous. Summary findings will be shared with the campus community later this year at a UCF Board of Trustees Audit and Compliance Committee meeting and through the Fall edition of the IntegrityStar.
The university encourages full participation before the survey closes on April 10, 2026. Don’t forget to submit a photo or screen image of the final page confirming the recording of your survey to complianceandethics@ucf.edu to be entered into the prize drawing. Each voice contributes to shaping a better UCF.
As always, questions can be directed to University Compliance and Ethics at complianceandethics@ucf.edu.