Lobbying Policy
By law, Northwestern is required to file quarterly lobbying reports for City of Chicago, State of Illinois, and Federal lobbying interactions. Northwestern is also subject to the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act, which requires the University to monitor lobbying activities of all staff and faculty to report accurately in compliance with federal tax and lobbying laws.
As a reminder, only the President and duly designated representatives may speak on behalf of the University to government officials.
However, we recognize that additional interactions and communications may occur between faculty and staff and elected officials.
The University's Lobbying and Communications with Government Officials Policy details the reasoning and purpose of the policy and includes instructions for communications with government officials for interactions outside personal political activities. The Government Relations Office highly encourages Northwestern faculty and staff to review this policy prior to participating in government/political activities.
Northwestern encourages civic and political engagement by all members of the University community and offers the following as guidance for those who may interact with government officials. When engaged in political activity (activity directed toward the success of failure of a political party, candidate for partisan political office, or partisan political group) in which your expertise in a particular topic is highlighted, faculty may use their University affiliation for identification, but they must specify that the views expressed are their own and not those of Northwestern University. University employees should not use University resources like letterhead or email accounts for personal correspondence with government officials.
Listed below are examples of interactions that may trigger reporting requirements. The Government Relations Office is the best source of information if you are interested in or have been contacted to participate in grassroots advocacy or direct lobbying as a Northwestern faculty or staff member. Please contact gov@northwestern.edu.