Online Privacy Statement

Thank you for visiting Franklin University’s web sites at franklin.edu (the "Web Site").  This Privacy Policy only applies to information collected online at franklin.edu.  This privacy policy describes the information that Franklin collects on its Web Site from visitors, as well as how that information is used. 

For more information regarding privacy and to help you determine where to get further assistance, students, faculty, staff, and other users in the Franklin University community are directed to the IT Policy on Responsible Use and/or the Employee Handbook.

Information Collected Online:
1.   Non-Personally Identifiable Information. Franklin University collects a variety of information from visitors to its Web Site. This data is not personally identifiable and is collected automatically via the use of cookies (see the Cookies section below) and other standard web technology. Automatically-collected information may include: the operating system on your computer, the type of web browser you are using, your IP address, and the links you followed to enter and leave the Web Site.  Non-personally identifiable information is used to help Franklin improve its site by enabling us to discover and address the needs of our site visitors. This includes making our Web Site accessible to the wide variety of Web browsers and operating systems used to access the Web Site.

2.  Personally Identifiable Information.  Personally identifiable information is collected when visitors to the Web Site apply for classes online, request information from Franklin University, register for a Franklin University information session, request a transcript, update their personal information, request a replacement Excellence Coin, make a donation, request information from the Franklin University Leadership Center, register for a Franklin University Leadership Center symposium, access other online services such as the library or email services, or when visitors contact Franklin University.

Categories of personally identifiable information collected online include: name, address, phone number, email address, fax number, social security number, date of birth, gender, marital status, spouse's name, race/ethnicity, citizenship information, enrollment information, previous educational information, employment information, emergency contact information, credit card information, recipient's name, address, phone number, and email address, account information, and any other information visitors to the Web Site choose to provide.

How We Use Information Collected Online:
Franklin uses non-personally identifiable information collected online to help us better design our Web Site so that it continues to meet visitor needs.  Personally identifiable information collected through the site by means of visitor submission is used for the purpose of responding to said submission.  This includes activities such as evaluating visitor applications and responding to requests for information about Franklin University.

Franklin does not share personal information with third parties, apart from vendors who must utilize the information to perform necessary duties (e.g. credit card authorization).

Franklin may disclose personally identifiable information based on a good-faith belief that such disclosure is necessary to conform to or comply with the law or that such disclosure is necessary to protect Web Site visitors or the general public.

Security of Information:
Financial transactions submitted through the Web Site are encrypted using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol.

Cookies
Cookies are pieces of information stored by your web browser on behalf of a web site and returned to the Web Site on request. The Web Site may use cookies for two purposes: to carry data about a visitors current session at the Web Site from one web page to the next, and to identify a visitor to the Web Site between visits. If visitors prefer not to receive cookies they can be turned off in the browser.  The browser may also be configured to prompt the user before automatically accepting a new cookie. Some pages may not function properly if cookies are turned off. Unless otherwise notified on this Web Site, Franklin University will not store data within cookies for any other purpose.

Linking
Within the Web Site there are links to non-Franklin web sites. When a visitor follows a link a to third-party web site, the visitor leaves Franklin's Web Site and will no longer will be subject to our privacy policy. Franklin University is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of non-Franklin Web Sites, and such links are not intended to be an endorsement of those sites or their content.

International Visitors
If a user visits this Web Site from a location outside the United States, the Web Site connection will be routed through servers located in the United States.  Any information provided by international visitors will be processed and maintained on our Web server and other systems located within the United States.

Policy Changes
The information contained in this policy explains the Internet privacy policy and practices that Franklin University has adopted for its official Web pages. This privacy policy shall not be construed as a contractual promise.  Franklin University reserves the right to amend this policy at any time.  Should there be a material change to our information collection and use practices, it will be applied only to information collected on from that point forward.  In such an instance Franklin University will update this Online Privacy Statement. 

Questions/Contact Us
If you have questions about the Web Site, the collection of information that occurs on the Web Site, or its online privacy statement, please contact the Franklin University Technology Help Desk at 1.866.435.7006.  You may also send an email to helpdesk@franklin.edu.

Effective March 3rd, 2008.