Academic Leadership Toolkit

Outside Activity

 

Overview:

“Outside Activity” refers to any compensated or uncompensated activity [not assigned by FSU] that is related to a faculty member’s institutional expertise. “Reportable Outside Activity” shall mean any financial interest or Outside Activity that is required to be disclosed to the University for the purpose of determining a conflict of interest. (FSU BOT-UFF Agreement, Article 19)

 

Goals:

  • To ensure that any and all outside activity (e.g., consulting, private practice, additional teaching, etc.) undertaken by a faculty member is free from conflict with the public interests of the University.
  • To ensure that engaging in such outside activity will not interfere with the faculty member’s full performance of their assigned responsibilities.

 

Authority and Responsibility:

  • Each faculty member should report all outside activity and potential conflicts of interest through the Conflict Administration and Management System (CAMS) at least 30 days prior to engaging in the outside employment (if possible).
  • The faculty member is responsible for disclosing clear details regarding proposed outside activities and working with their chair/supervisor to resolve any potential conflicts or interference.
  • The chair/supervisor is responsible for reviewing each Faculty Outside Activity/Conflict of Interest disclosure within CAMS and working with the faculty member to mitigate any potential conflicts or interference. At any point, the chair/supervisor may ask the faculty member for additional information needed to make a determination regarding the feasibility of the proposed outside activity.
  • The outside activity disclosure process is coordinated by the Office of Compliance and Ethics.

 

Common Pitfalls:

  • Not providing enough detail regarding the proposed outside employment or potential conflict of interest.
  • Not providing disclosure information in a timely manner.
  • Not realizing that chairs may reject a faculty member’s request to perform outside employment, if they determine that an unavoidable conflict exists.

 

Resources: