"Outside Professional Activities" as defined in: IU policy UA- 17 Conflicts of Interest and Commitment

In brief, a ‘conflict of interest’ exists when someone influences university decisions and from that receives personal benefits (primarily financial).  

A ‘conflict of commitment’ exists when someone is not devoting appropriate amounts of time and attention to their IU responsibilities, and/or is in competition with IU.   

Faculty may engage in outside activities, which are not organized or supervised by IU, and which involve compensation that is outside the IU system.

• Working on grants that are administered through IU is not “outside employment”.
• For 10-month faculty, work for non-IU entities during two summer months is not “outside employment” and there are no restrictions.

Full time tenure-track faculty are allowed up to one work-day per week, or equivalent.

“Full-time academic appointees shall be permitted to spend, on average, one non-weekend day each week, not including official university holidays, during the period of appointment on outside professional activities.”

Not all outside employment is allowable:

“Academic appointees should avoid conflicts of commitment which arise either when an appointee undertakes outside professional activities that interfere with fulfilling the obligations of the individual’s academic appointment, or when an appointee undertakes, on behalf of another organization, activities that would ordinarily be performed on behalf of Indiana University.” UA-17

Faculty should

• Disclose to their chair and/or dean all compensated professionally-related outside employment.
• Not engage in activities which either:
  • interfere with the normal expectations of a faculty member, or
  • compete with IU directly, e.g.
    • Teaching online for another university.
    • Conducting research for private entities.
• Carefully weigh the value of the activity with the primary goals of one’s position; some activities may enhance one’s research agenda, and some may detract from it.

Deans and chairs have the right to:

• Schedule classes and meetings to serve the primary mission of the unit.
  • Faculty who have chosen outside employment may not refuse normal academic assignments, and must fulfill normal service obligations.
• Determine that a particular outside employment situation is in direct conflict with IU (“activities that would ordinarily be performed on behalf of” IU).
• Incorporate into offer letters specific understandings about outside professional work.

Deans and chairs should:

• Be sensitive to requests for flexibility as part of faculty retention and engagement.
• Counsel assistant and associate faculty as to the impact of external work on progress towards tenure and promotion.

Reviewed and Revised 7/27/2021