External Remunerative Activities

Introduction

Employment in External Remunerative Activities is governed by Article 9 of the Collective Agreement. Tenure-track and tenured faculty members are permitted to earn additional income from external activities, providing that all such activities are arranged so as not to conflict or interfere with their overriding commitment and primary professional loyalty to the University. The teaching of courses on Overload (as per Article 23) shall not be considered external remunerative activity. 

 A tenure-track or tenured faculty member will be alert to the possible effects of his/her outside activities on their obligations to the University and is responsible for consulting with his/her Dean before becoming involved in any outside activity that could lead to a conflict or the appearance of a conflict in accordance with Article 8: Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment.

In the event of a discrepancy between this page and the Collective Agreement, the Collective Agreement shall be considered the final authority.

Regulations

Tenure-track and tenured faculty members may engage for up to twenty-five (25) days per year in appropriate external remunerative activities such as consulting, private contract work, entrepreneurship, or teaching at another institution, provided that timing of these activities does not conflict with their assigned academic responsibilities.

• The scheduling of external remunerative activities will be arranged with the Dean and, where a major commitment of time is anticipated, recorded in a written agreement.  If this is an ongoing commitment, the agreement and arrangements will be reviewed annually.
• In all cases, the faculty member will undertake to ensure that the external remunerative activities will not conflict with his/her primary commitments to Teaching, Scholarship, and Service.
• In special cases, external remunerative activities in excess of twenty-five (25) days per year may be requested of and considered by the Dean. If there is an ongoing need for more than twenty-five (25) days, a part-time appointment or leave without pay will normally be appropriate.
• The faculty member agrees that there will be no unapproved use of University facilities and/or resources associated with external remunerative activities. Such activities shall not use institutional facilities except for the library and/or a private office unless written approval of the Dean has been obtained. The Faculty Member agrees to pay for any University resources used in his/her external remunerative activities, such as computer time, laboratory equipment and supplies, telephone calls, secretarial services, reproduction services and outside mail services.
• The faculty member may identify her/himself as an employee of the University of Guelph. The member may not, however, state that he/she is a representative of the University of Guelph in such activities without prior written permission of the Provost or designate.

Procedures

• By April 1 of each year, the Dean shall remind Tenure-track and Tenured Faculty Members of the requirement to complete a standard University form as per 9.8 below.
• Before May 1 of each year, each Tenure-track and Tenured Faculty Member will inform his/her Chair whether or not he/she has been engaged in external remunerative activities by completing a standard University form. For Faculty Members who have engaged in external remunerative activities, such form will indicate the nature and time devoted to these activities conducted within the previous calendar year.

Conflicts of Commitment

With the acceptance of a full-time appointment at the University, a faculty member makes a professional commitment to the University.  Faculty are expected to direct the primacy of their professional commitment to the University. Recognizing that external professional activities can bring benefits to, and enhance the reputation of, the University, and the capacity of faculty, the University agrees that faculty may engage in part-time professional activities, provided that such activities are not undertaken in conflict with the Collective Agreement and do not conflict or interfere with the faculty member's responsibilities to the University. Faculty members must refrain from any external activity which interferes with their responsibilities to the University. A faculty member will not use his/her University position to promote and/or advance his/her private interests.

Unless prior written approval has been provided by the Dean/AVPR/Director, no faculty member shall engage in external employment within a 150 kilometer radius of OVC, in his/her area of specialty that is in direct competition with OVC or with analytical services provided by the AHL (excluding Continuing Appointment or Tenure-track employees in the OVC-HSC employed as of August 5, 2011 with an appointment of less than 80%). 

If a faculty member plans to undertake an external activity that may interfere with some of the aspects of the their University responsibilities, the faculty member must disclose and seek, in writing, prior approval from the Dean.  The disclosure shall be in writing and shall include:

1. a full description of the nature of the work or activity;
2. an estimate of the time required to perform the work or the time period during which the work will be performed;
3. the extent, if any, of the use of University facilities, supplies, support staff or students;
4. any other external activities that have already been approved in that year or that are continuing from an earlier year; and
5. the impact the activity will have on Teaching, Scholarship, and Service responsibilities.

The request for approval will be considered as soon as possible and a decision will be rendered in writing within ten (10) days.  If approval is denied, or offered only on conditions, the faculty member shall be provided with reasons, in writing, for the decision.

Whenever the significant external activities of a faculty member change materially, the faculty member is obligated to inform the Dean in writing.  Faculty members should disclose expected changes at least thirty (30) days before the activity is to commence and prior to the faculty member making a firm commitment to undertake the activities. All information or reports disclosed relative to External Remunerative Activities will be confidential.