Alternate Approver Role

This article provides an overview of the Alternate Approver role in UC OATS. 

What is an Alternate Approver

An Alternate Approver acts on behalf of the Department Approver (such as a Department Chair, Dean, or Provost) when they are unavailable due to circumstances such as vacation or a conflict of interest. In these situations, the department’s reviewer assigns an Alternate Approver.

Forms assigned to an Alternate Approver will appear in both the Alternate Approver’s and Department Approver’s queues; however, only the Alternate Approver can take action on those forms.

Alternate Approver Responsibilities

The Alternate Approver is responsible for the following when a prior approval form or Annual Certification is assigned: 

Prior Approval Forms

• Review prior approval forms to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Approval, acknowledgment, or return it to the faculty or reviewer for updates.
• Alternate Approvers may not approve or acknowledge their own prior approval forms. If this occurs, a disclaimer will appear and the form will need to be returned to the reviewer so it can be routed to another Approver within the unit.

Annual Certification Reports

• Review Annual Certification reports to confirm that all known outside professional activities are accurately reported.