External Professional Activities for Pay

Notice Requirements

• Any Covered Individual who plans to engage in an External Professional Activity for Pay shall complete the “Notice of Intent to Engage in External Professional Activity for Pay” (hereinafter referred to as “Notice of Intent”) via the electronic Activities, Interests and Relationships (AIR) or other designated system. A separate “Notice of Intent” shall be filed for each such activity in which a Covered individual proposes to engage.
• A small group of activities that often result in compensation outside of the University are exempted from the requirement for prior approval because they are typically considered to be secondary employment responsibilities and, given their nature, will not generate Financial Conflicts of Interest. Though prior approval is not needed for these activities, and since they are secondary duties, employees should discuss with their supervisors any impact on workload that participation in these activities may entail. They should also be reported as part of the annual disclosure process for purposes of reporting to General Administration (see Section II below). The following activities are exempt from pre-approval if the remuneration does not exceed $5,000 for any single work product or $5,000 annually for ongoing activity, with the understanding that in no case should performing the activities listed below interfere with the fulfillment of the Covered Individual’s Primary University Employment Responsibilities:1
  • Serving on a Federal, state, or local government or non-profit organization agency committee, panel, or commission;
  • Serving as editor or editorial board member for a professional, scholarly journal;
  • Reviewing journal or book manuscripts, grant or contract proposals, and external tenure and promotion dossiers;
  • Serving as a committee member, an officer, or board member of a professional or scholarly society;
  • Presenting seminars or lectures at scholarly colloquia or conferences sponsored by a Federal, state, or local government agency, an institution of higher education, an academic teaching hospital, a medical center, or a research institution that is affiliated with an institution of higher education.
  • Delivering performances or producing creative works tied to one’s area of employment responsibility.
• Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the “Notice of Intent” shall be submitted for approval to the employee’s direct supervisor not less than ten (10) calendar days before the date the proposed external professional activity for pay is to begin.
• The Notice of Intent shall be filed in the electronic system, and will be directed to the individual indicated by each department as having approval responsibility for external professional activities for pay.
• Additionally, Covered Individuals must disclose any Financial Interests related to the activity as consistent with the Board of Governors’ policy on Conflict of Interest and Commitment (UNC Policy Manual, Section 300.2.2), and UNCG’s Policy on Conflict of Interest and Commitment and Procedures for the Disclosure, Review, and Management of Activities Involving Potential Financial Conflicts of Interest.

• If, after a review of the “Notice of Intent” and consultation with the Covered Individual, the employee supervisor determines that the proposed activity is consistent with applicable policy, will not involve inappropriate use of university resources, and will not present a Conflict of Commitment, the supervisor should indicate approval of the activity by approving the electronic submission.
• If the “Notice of Intent” discloses a proposed activity that will involve (1) an entity that provides funding that directly supports the Covered Individual’s University Employment Responsibilities, or (2) a private entity in which the Covered Individual or Covered Individual’s Immediate Family holds an equity or ownership interest or holds an office, the “Notice of Intent” will be submitted to the Conflict of Interest Officer for further review. This review may result in a finding that no Conflict of Interest exists, that a Conflict of Interest does exist but can be managed via a management plan, or that a Conflict of Interest with significant potential to compromise objectivity exists and therefore precludes approval of the activity. The results of the review will be documented with the electronic record in the electronic system. This information will be shared with both the Covered Individual and the Covered Individual’s direct supervisor, and may be shared with others as designated in a Conflict of Interest Management Plan.
• Once a “Notice of Intent” is reviewed and approved regarding both Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment, the electronic system will alert the Covered Individual of the determination.
• Approval of a “Notice of Intent” may be granted for a period not to exceed the balance of either (1) the University’s fiscal year (July 1-June 30 in the case of 12- month Covered individuals and Covered individuals with contract service periods that include the summer session), or (2) the academic year (in the case of nine-month employees with no summer session contract period) remaining as of the date of approval. The Covered Individual shall be notified in writing of the approval within ten (10) calendar days of the date the “Notice of Intent” is filed. If the approved activity will continue beyond the end of the relevant fiscal or academic year in which it was begun, the Covered Individual must file an additional “Notice of Intent” at least ten (10) calendar days before engaging in such activity in the succeeding relevant year.
• If, after a review of the “Notice of Intent” and consultation with the Covered Individual, the direct supervisor determines that the proposed activity is not consistent with University policies, within ten (10) days of the filing by the Covered individual, the supervisor should disapprove the electronic submission with written explanation to notify the employee of the reasons for disapproval.

• In the event that a proposed activity is disallowed by the Covered Individual’s Direct Supervisor and/or the Conflict of Interest Officer, the Covered Individual shall not proceed with the proposed activity but may appeal the decision to the administrative officer to whom the direct supervisor reports, and then to the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designee. Appeals shall be made in writing within ten (10) calendar days of receiving notice of disapproval.
• Appeals shall be reviewed and the Covered Individual shall be notified of the results within ten (10) calendar days of the date on which the appeal is received.
• The decision of the Chancellor or chancellor’s designee shall be final.