University Policies on Conflict of Commitment

The University expects that an officer’s outside activities and interests will not interfere with his or her teaching, scholarly research, or other obligations to the University. Outside professional interests and employment, whether gainful or not, must not interfere with an officer’s teaching, scholarly research, and other departmental and University duties. Even the appearance of a conflict can be injurious to both the individual officer and the University.

Faculty Handbook:

Conflict of commitment requirements are described in several sections of the Faculty Handbook, including the following:

The following are excerpts from the Faculty Handbook discussing faculty members' outside engagements:

  • "The primary professional obligations of full-time faculty are to the University. They consequently may not participate in any outside activities, for or without compensation, that will absorb an undue amount of their time and thereby interfere with the performance of their University duties. Outside employment, consulting, and other interests may not require an average commitment of more than 20 percent of their time during the period in which a faculty member is expected to provide services to the University, except in the case of participants in faculty practice plans at the Irving Medical Center whose outside activities are determined by those plans."
  • "Depending upon the nature of the outside activity, a … conflict of commitment may exist even when a faculty member observes the time limit prescribed by the University’s policies, or engages in the outside activity during vacations or the summer months in the case of those serving in schools on eight- or nine-month academic calendars…. Faculty may not engage in outside activities that directly compete with the mission and interests of the University or are in conflict with their University responsibilities, regardless of the time they require. Those activities may not adversely affect their independence or compromise the integrity of the University."
  • "At a minimum, prior approval by the relevant chair, dean, director, or executive vice president is required for any titled and compensated appointments and affiliations with institutions of higher education, academic medical centers, or research institutes outside of Columbia."

Faculty are encouraged to review the complete set of provisions covering "Outside Interests and Employment" for Officers of Instruction.

The Faculty Handbook provisions for Officers of Research include the following:

"An officer of research normally may not undertake any outside employment except with the approval of their chair or director, dean, or executive vice president, making appropriate disclosures in the University’s online disclosure form in Rascal, and obtaining any necessary Conflict of Interest Committee approvals."

The Statement of University Policy on Conflicts of Interest includes additional provisions on conflict of commitment that apply to officers of instruction, research, administration and the libraries, as well as supporting staff members.

Policy on Research Leadership Roles for CUIMC Faculty:

CUIMC has established a policy governing faculty who serve in a leadership position on a national or international research study, including but not limited to national/international PI and steering committee roles. Such service is considered a University activity and, in general, must be subject to an appropriate research agreement between the sponsor or other relevant party and the University. This requirement must be met regardless of whether Columbia otherwise participates in the research study, e.g., as a clinical site for enrollment.

Additional information is available in the Policy on Education, Clinical Care, and Administration for Faculty and Researchers at CUIMC. 

Questions about this Policy should be referred to [email protected].