Expert Services Referral

Career Services · Room A-150 · ext. 2190

Members of the public, firms, and agencies sometimes ask the College to provide expert or client services: an inspection, an assessment, a written opinion, a consultation, or testimony. The College does not provide these services. Career Services refers requesters to graduates of the College who have asked to be included on a referral list. This page describes that process. It is not a directory, and no list of graduates is published.

Requests for expert or client services made to an individual faculty member are referred to this process. The College does not arrange outside work for faculty. Outside employment and occupational practice by faculty members are governed by Section 6.5 of the Faculty Handbook.

Requests for laboratory testing performed by College facilities are handled separately; see Industry Testing and Client Services.

How a referral is made

1. The requester contacts Career Services at ext. 2190 or in Room A-150, and describes the service needed, the field, the county in which the work would be performed, and whether the work is connected with a claim or legal proceeding.
2. Career Services provides the names and stated contact information of up to three listed graduates in the field, taken in rotation from the list. Where fewer than three graduates are listed in a field, Career Services provides the names of those listed. Where none are listed, the requester is so informed.
3. The requester contacts the graduate directly. Career Services does not contact the graduate on the requester’s behalf, does not schedule work, and does not take part in any discussion of scope or fee.

Career Services does not recommend one listed graduate over another, and the order in which names are provided reflects the rotation only. There is no charge to the requester.

Fields

Graduates who have completed a degree, diploma, or certificate in one of the following programs may ask to be listed in the field shown. Graduates of non-credit and clock-hour offerings are not eligible for listing.

1. Investigation of a claim for hire may require an Ohio private investigator license under ORC Chapter 4749, depending on the engagement. A graduate holding such a license states the license number on the listing. The College does not advise requesters or graduates on whether a license is required for a particular engagement.
2. Graduates listed in this field are not, by reason of the listing or the award, registered professional engineers, registered architects, or certified building officials, and do not perform work that Ohio law reserves to them.
3. Listing does not designate a graduate as a process authority under 21 CFR 114. A graduate who holds such a recognition states it on the listing.
4. Graduates listed in this field are not veterinarians and do not provide veterinary services. Permits required for the possession of particular species are held by the owner or facility and are not conferred by the College.
5. Programs in the Division of Anomalous Property and Nonstandard Conditions hold programmatic approval from the Council on Occupational and Technical Accreditation. They are not licensed, registered, or recognized by any Ohio state board, and graduates are not licensed practitioners of any regulated profession.

Where a license is required, the graduate states the license number and the issuing body on the listing. The College does not verify licenses and does not monitor their status. Requesters should confirm a license directly with the issuing body before engaging a graduate.

Fees

Fees are set by the graduate. The College does not publish, recommend, review, or limit any graduate’s fees, and does not keep a fee schedule. The College receives no fee, commission, or other payment from the graduate or the requester in connection with a referral or any work that follows from it. Payment is a matter between the requester and the graduate.

Listing

A graduate who wishes to be listed completes the referral listing form available from Career Services, stating the field, contact information, counties served, and any license or registration number required for the work. Listings remain in effect for twelve months and lapse unless renewed. A graduate may withdraw from the list at any time by notifying Career Services in writing.

Career Services may decline or remove a listing where the graduate’s stated license has lapsed, where information on the listing is found to be inaccurate, or where the graduate represents the work as performed by or on behalf of the College. A listed graduate may state the award earned and the year it was conferred, and may not use the College’s name, seal, or marks in a manner that suggests the College’s affiliation with or approval of the work.

Claims and legal proceedings

The College does not provide expert witnesses and does not perform testing in support of active litigation except under subpoena or through this referral process. A graduate who accepts an engagement in connection with a claim or legal proceeding does so in a private capacity. The College does not review, adopt, or vouch for any opinion, report, or testimony given by a graduate.

Verification of a graduate’s award is available through the Registrar. Release of a graduate’s education records, including transcripts, requires the graduate’s written consent or a lawfully issued subpoena, as provided by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Complaints

The College does not mediate disputes between requesters and graduates. A complaint concerning the work of a licensed graduate should be directed to the issuing body. A requester may inform Career Services of a complaint, and Career Services will consider it under the provisions for removal of a listing above.