Policy Foundation
In 2014, the two Academic Personnel Manual (APM) policies that govern faculty’s Outside Professional Activities, APM 025 (revised) and APM 671 (new), were issued. Outside professional activities that interfere with a faculty member’s primary professional obligations to the University represent a conflict of commitment (COC). APM 025 and APM 671 provide guidance for the identification and management of outside professional activities in order to avoid conflicts of commitment while assuring that faculty may engage in a wide array of outside activities without unnecessary limitations. It should be noted that faculty who serve as academic deans (APM 240) or full-time faculty administrators (APM 246) have additional restrictions on outside professional activities beyond the requirements of APM 025/671.
 

Challenges Across Campuses
The Academic Personnel Directors (APDs) began discussing the need for a COC tracking system in fall 2015. Internal audits conducted on multiple campuses suggested that there was room for improvement in compliance with APM 025/671, including education, tracking, and retention of records. Historically, COC policies were managed using paper forms or simple online systems. However, there was little consistency amongst campuses in the interpretation and implementation of these policies. Faculty struggled with understanding the COC policies and their obligations to the University regarding COC.

Creation of UC OATS
The Vice Provosts of Academic Affairs (VPAAs) were polled in winter 2016 about exploring a multi-campus COC system. The VPAAs were supportive of this endeavor, and the proposal from UCLA Digital Technology (DGIT) was accepted. The proposal suggested leveraging an application developed for the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at UCLA to support faculty in reporting and tracking outside professional activities governed by APM 671 and use it as the basis for a new UC-wide system to facilitate adherence to all COC APM policies. Watch the UC OATS Project Introduction video to learn more.