Alternate Approver Role Overview

This article provides an overview of the Alternate Approver Role. The Alternate Approver role is for individuals who will approve/acknowledge prior approval forms on behalf of the unit approver (department chair, dean, provost, etc.). When the unit approver is not able to approve a form (on vacation, conflict of interest, etc.), the reviewer for that unit will assign an alternate approver. Both the alternate approver and approver will receive a copy of the prior approval form. However, only the alternate approver will have the option to approve/acknowledge the form. 

The following is an overview of alternate approver responsibilities: 

• Prior Approval Forms - look over prior approval forms to confirm they are accurate and recommend for approval. The terminal approver (Provost, Vice Provost, Chancellor, etc.) is the one who decides if a prior approval form is approved and for how long.  Please note, alternate approvers cannot approve their own prior approval forms. OATS will automatically route the forms of an alternate approver to the next level up in the approval chain.
• Annual Certification Reports - look over annual certification reports to make sure any activities they know about are included in the report.

e.g. Alternate Approver Workspace