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STATE OF LOUISIANA <br /> pF Lop DEPARTMENT OF STATE CIVIL SERVICE <br /> JCIST°s9 LOUISIANA BOARD OF ETHICS <br /> P.O.BOX 4368 <br /> * aM * BATON ROUGE,LA 70821 <br /> cOroeioeN�� (225)219-5600 <br /> .o. FAX:(225)381-7271 <br /> 1-800-842-6630 <br /> www.ethics.1a.gov <br /> November 12, 2024 <br /> Dr. Curtis Penrod <br /> Director, School of Business <br /> 201 A Russell Hall <br /> Northwestern State University <br /> Natchitoches, Louisiana 71497 <br /> Re: Docket No. 2024-394 <br /> Advisory Opinion <br /> Dear Mr. Penrod: <br /> The Louisiana Board of Ethics, at its meeting on October 25, 2024, considered your request for an <br /> advisory opinion on behalf of Northwestern State University as to whether the Code of <br /> Governmental Ethics("Code")prohibits employee Dr. Eddie Horton from providing compensated <br /> services to CompTIA. <br /> By a unanimous vote, the Board adopted the following opinion at its meeting on November 8, <br /> 2024. <br /> FACTS PROVIDED <br /> The Computer Information Systems ("CIS") program is housed in the NSU School of Business <br /> and offers curricula leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in CIS. The CIS program <br /> incorporates numerous industry-based certifications into its curriculum. NSU incorporates the <br /> costs of the certifications and training materials into a fee associated with the individual course. <br /> Dr. Eddie Horton is an Associate Professor of CIS at the NSU School of Business. <br /> The Computing Technology Industry Association, also known as CompTIA, is a non-profit trade <br /> association that issues professional certifications such as A+, Network+, Security+, Server+. <br /> Linux+, and IT Fundamentals. NSU purchases certification materials each semester for the <br /> students in the various courses. <br /> CompTIA also offers live online training certifications taught by qualified individuals. These <br /> courses are designed for non-students or corporate environments and are often taught to individuals <br /> in foreign countries. CompTIA has approached Dr. Eddie Horton about the possibility of teaching <br /> online certification classes in areas where he holds a professional certification. Dr. Horton would <br /> receive compensation directly from CompTIA for the online certification classes. Dr. Horton <br /> would teach these classes outside of his normal work hours and would not utilize any NSU <br /> resources for the classes. <br /> Page 1 of 3 (BD 2024-394) <br /> AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER <br />