Faculty Use of University Time for Outside Professional Activities

As a center for innovation and a regional economic partner, the University of Pittsburgh recognizes the benefit of sharing the expertise of its faculty with government, nonprofit, and commercial entities. To that end, full time faculty are permitted to use up to one day per week on the average of their University time over the period of their contractual appointment at the University and any summer months during which they receive compensation for teaching, research, or other University activities on outside professional work. Faculty may also engage in such activities during their personal time.

  • University time spent on outside professional activity must not exceed an average of one (1) day per week, up to 35 days (for 8-month appointees) or 48 days (for 11-month appointees) each academic year.
  • Weekends and evenings (the time not part of a nominal 40-hour, 5-day work week) are not counted in these limits.
  • During the summer months, faculty with 8-month appointments have no restrictions on the amount of time spent in outside activities unless they are being compensated by the University for summer employment/activities (summer teaching, summer research, or other activities).
  • Similarly, there are no restrictions for 11-month appointees on the number of days of outside professional activity during vacation periods.

Regardless of whether the work is conducted during personal or University time, faculty members must seek the prospective approval of their department chair or equivalent supervisor and disclose their financial and management interests for conflict of interest review purposes.

Faculty and their supervisors are responsible for ensuring that the faculty member is not spending more than the approved amount of time on outside work and that the outside work is not otherwise negatively impacting the faculty member’s performance of their University duties. The supervisor may reduce the amount of University time a faculty member may devote to outside activities by providing a written justification for the reduced limit.

Incidental Use of any University resources, as defined and described in University Policy RI01, in performance of outside professional activities must be approved in advance by the department chair and/or other relevant supervisor. In no case may faculty use University or UPMC confidential data, funds, trademarks, or logos in performing outside work.