Complete Category I Form

This article provides step-by-step instructions for completing a Category I prior approval form. When filling out the form, include detailed information about your role in the outside professional activity and upload any necessary supporting documentation. After you submit the Category I form, it will proceed through your campus’s approval workflow. You will receive email notifications if the form is returned for revisions and when a final decision is made on your request.

To complete the Category I form:

1. Confirm you are in the fiscal year in which the activity will begin. If you submitted the Category I form in the wrong fiscal year, you can delete it and submit it in the correct fiscal year.
2. Complete the Category I form.
    

   Form Question	Description
   (a) General description of the business  [required]	Enter a description of the business.
   (b) Web address [optional]	Enter the web address of the company with which you will be working.
   (c) In-Kind Contribution [required]	The In-Kind Contribution questions will be required if you select specific Category I activity types. Entering details here does not fulfill your In-Kind Contribution reporting requirements.
   (d) Nature of your relationship to the entity [required]	Select all options that apply.  Board Member - board member with governance responsibilities Equity / Royalty Interest - Equity is one's ownership state in a legal entity. A royalty payment is made to the legal owner of the property, patent, copyrighted work or franchise. Owner - The one who has the legal or rightful title of ownership. Stockholder / Partnership Interest - A stockholder is an individual, group, or organization that holds one or more shares in a company, and in whose name the share certificate is issued. Also called a shareholder. A partnership interest in an association of two or more persons engaged in a business enterprise in which the profits and losses are shared proportionally. Consultant (1099) - For tax purposes, you will receive an IRS 1099 form for this activity. Founder / Co-Founder - The founder of a business or a company is the person who establishes it; a co-founder is a joint founder. Salaried Employee (W-2) - For tax purposes, you will receive an IRS W-2 form for this activity. Other, please explain - Other professional activity that common sense and good judgment would indicate are likely to raise issues of conflict of commitment. See APM - 671-10-a-(1) or APM-025-10-a-(1).
   (e) Description of the nature of your participation [required]	Please provide enough details for the non-technical reviewer to be able to understand the nature of your participation in this outside activity. If your explanation exceeds the number of characters allowed, write your description in a word document and upload it to the "Notes" tab at the top of the page.
   (f) Start & end date for which you are seeking approval. [required]	Select the dates on which you are seeking approval to engage in the activity. Please note approvals are generally granted for one Academic / Fiscal year, but may be granted for a longer term, up to three years. Check your campus help site for campus-specific information.
   (g) Estimated number of hours, leave request, engaging in activity before permission. [required]	Estimated number of hours - Enter the number of hours of involvement during the Academic or Fiscal Year appointment. Will you be requesting a full or part-time leave without pay to engage in this activity? - State if you plan on taking a leave without pay. If yes, follow your campus's process of requesting a leave.  Have you engaged in the activity before receiving permission - State whether or not you have engaged in the activity before receiving permission.
   (h) Notes [optional]	Upload supporting documentation or add additional notes regarding the activity.

3. Click the Request Approval button to submit the form. Once submitted, the form will process through your campus approval workflow, which will vary per campus. You will receive an email notification once your Category I form has finished review.