Faculty members engage in a wide range of activities and, depending on the type of appointment they hold, may have responsibility for teaching, conducting research, producing scholarly publications, patient care, advising and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students or other trainees, serving on committees in their departments and schools, or otherwise contributing to the life of the University and their professional disciplines. Health System policies, including clinical practice guidelines, can be found in the Health System Policy Repository. For more information about the various responsibilities of faculty members, see the following policies:

Teaching Courses for Academic Credit
This policy defines expectations related to a faculty member’s teaching responsibilities, including grading practices, office hours, and course syllabi. It also provides guidance for a series of issues related to instruction, including the rules governing when and under what conditions students are allowed to record classroom lectures and distribute course materials, accommodating students whose religious observances conflict with the academic calendar, retaining and disposing of students’ graded work, managing instructor absences from the classroom, and scheduling additional mandatory course sessions for undergraduate classes outside the regular class meeting time.

Faculty Conflicts of Interest
This policy provides guidance regarding possible conflicts of interest that may be most relevant to faculty members, but for complete details regarding University policy and state law regarding conflicts of interest, faculty members should also consult the University’s Conflict of Interests Policy, the “Conflict of Interest” site from the Office of the Vice President for Research, as well as “Financial Conflicts of Interest for Research Investigators.”

Restrictions on Certain Romantic or Sexual Relationships at the University
This policy defines prohibitions and restrictions on certain romantic or sexual relationships relevant to faculty, student instructors, and others. For certain types of relationships as noted in the policy, it also establishes requirements for recusal of supervisory or evaluative functions and related notification requirements.

Consulting and Internal Overload
The University permits faculty members to consult for agencies and organizations outside of the University and, under exceptional circumstances, to receive supplemental compensation for responsibilities assumed on an overload basis within the University. This policy defines the limits of these consulting privileges.

Research Misconduct
The University takes any allegations of research misconduct seriously. This policy explains how allegations of observed, apparent, or suspected allegations of misconduct are reported, investigated, and, if substantiated, handled.

Export Controls and Sanction Compliance
This policy defines roles and responsibilities associated with activities involving the export of controlled items, information, and activities or that due to its nature or the parties involved are subject to US government export controls or sanction requirements. Common University activities that are subject to control include, but are not limited to, the following: 1) the transfer of technical information subject to access/dissemination restrictions to a foreign person in the US or abroad; 2) shipment of equipment, materials, components, or software out of the US; and 3) providing a service of value to, or receiving one from, an individual, entity, or country subject to a US sanction or embargo program. For details regarding compliance requirements, faculty members should review the University’s Managing Export and Sanction Compliance in Support of University Activities policy. The Export Controls website provides information on the regulatory requirements, institutional forms and procedures, training materials, and other resources to facilitate compliance.

Faculty and Staff International Travel
Establishes requirements and procedures that “Covered Individuals” (faculty, staff, Senior Professional Research Staff, and all postdocs) must adhere to before and during all “University-Related International Travel” as these terms are defined in this policy. Among these, Covered Individuals engaging in University-Related International Travel must register travel itineraries and contact information in the International Travel Registry at least seven days before departure.

Other responsibilities include consulting with one’s local support partner (LSP) and/or Information Security for assistance in securing any University-owned or managed electronic devices being taken abroad. Faculty can also reference Information Security’s Best Practices for Traveling Internationally for additional guidance.

Information Policy (Computing Policies)
Faculty members, like all members of the University community, are responsible for using the University’s computing and communication (information technology) resources and facilities in an ethical, professional, and legal manner. University Information Security (InfoSec) maintains policies related to data security, protection, and acceptable use of computing and information technology resources.

In 2018, Information Security established an Information Policy Library, which serves as a central repository for all UVA information technology (IT) resource policies, standards, and procedures. The creation of a single location that consolidates the four information policy areas and their associated standards, procedures, and guidelines should facilitate compliance initiatives across the UVA community. These policies address the management of IT resources and University information to provide the framework for minimizing risk to these valuable assets.

• IRM-002: Acceptable Use of the University’s Information Technology Resources - All users of University information technology (IT) resources are required to use them in an ethical, professional, and legal manner. Note:IRM-002 was revised effective July 1, 2023, in response to a Virginia law establishing prohibitions pertaining to various applications and websites (including TikTok and WeChat, among others). Refer to the policy for further details.

• IRM-003: Data Protection of University Information - Users must comply with all University policies, standards, and procedures for the data to which they have been granted the ability to view, copy, generate, transmit, store, download, or otherwise acquire, access, remove, or destroy. Users must also meet any additional compliance requirements for data protection stipulated by various governmental, legal, or contractual entities.

• IRM-004: Information Security of University Technology Resources - Owners and administrators of the University’s information technology (IT) resources must take reasonable care to eliminate security vulnerabilities from those resources.

• IRM-012: Privacy and Confidentiality of University Information - The University is committed to the privacy of individuals and to safeguarding information about individuals subject to limitations imposed by local, state, and federal law and other provisions described in this policy and its standards and procedures.  The University, as steward of public resources and electronic information, shall respond to requests for electronic information in an orderly manner consistent with state and federal law and this policy and its standards and procedures.

Responsible Use of Faculty and Staff Data (PDF)
This document is a consolidated resource for information on the principles and specific guidelines governing the release and use of data and information about University of Virginia Academic Division, Medical Center and College at Wise employees.

Ownership Rights in Copyrightable Material
Although the “work-for-hire” rule in the U.S. Copyright Act gives the University ownership of the copyrights to works produced by its employees within the scope of their employment, in the case of most scholarly and academic works produced by academic and research faculty, the University cedes copyright ownership to the author(s). This policy explains how the University manages the ownership rights of copyrightable material and the circumstances in which the University may elect to assert its rights to work produced by faculty members in the course of their employment.

Agreements/Contracts with Outside Entities
Faculty members are not authorized to sign any document, contract, or agreement on behalf of the University. Faculty members who receive a request from an outside agency asking for their signature on behalf of the University should contact their dean’s office for guidance as to identifying the appropriate authorized signatory at the University and routing the request through appropriate internal review processes.

One of the agreements that faculty members are likely to encounter is an academic program agreement, which is any agreement with an external agency, organization, or institution of higher education that impacts the academic mission of the University. This can include both education programs and unusual research collaborations that fall outside the normal boundaries of sponsored research activities (which are managed by the Office of Sponsored Programs, as described below). The policy, “Academic Approval and Signatory Authority for Academic Program Agreements,” provides more detail on these types of agreements and explains the review processes required for each type of agreement.

The Office of Sponsored Programs has signatory authority for sponsored research agreements, including both funded agreements (CTAs, RFAs, etc.) and non-funded agreements (MTAs, CDAs, etc.).

Courses Involving Outside Entities or Vendors
Faculty members who wish to involve outside entities in their courses (for example, to ask professionals in the field to serve as project mentors for projects involving “real-world” problems, or to require students to subscribe to an on-line service provided by a third-party vendor as part of their course) need to be conscious of a number of possible issues. Professionals in the field who work with students on classroom projects (capstone projects, for example), may ask that students sign agreements related to intellectual property or confidentiality before working on particular materials. Such requests must be made in advance of the course and approved by the dean’s office and the provost’s office. For more information, faculty should refer to the student intellectual property policy published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Records.

As for requiring students to purchase on-line services from a third-party vendor as part of a course, because such activities may expose students and their personal information to risk in ways that the purchase of a textbook does not, faculty members should seek guidance from their dean’s office and the provost’s office prior to establishing such a requirement in any course.

Other policiesrelated to faculty members’ responsibilities:
Use of Alcoholic Beverages and Prohibition of Other Drugs
Managing Export and Sanction Compliance in Support of University Activities

Research
Investigator Eligibility Requirements and Responsibilities Related to Sponsored Programs
Payroll Allocation Confirmation on Sponsored Programs
Employment of Professional Research Staff
Visiting Graduate Researchers
Ownership Rights in Copyrightable Material
Federal Classified Research
Faculty Exchanges with Other Institutions
Patent Policy
Purchases of Goods and Services
Travel, Meals, and Entertainment Expenses Incurred on Behalf of the University
OSP Policies and Procedures
Solicitation, Clearance, Acceptance and Ongoing Management of Sponsored Programs
University Information Technology Accessibility
Use of University Facilities or Property and Limits on Direct Solicitation and Advertising
Use of Working Time and University Equipment for Personal or Commercial Purposes
Use of University’s Federally Registered Trademark
Ownership, Retention, Safeguarding, Management, and Transfer of Research Records
Research Misconduct
Financial Conflicts of Interest for Research Investigators
Chemical Safety and Waste Training
Radiation Safety Program
Laser Safety
Distinguishing Between a Gift or a Sponsored Program
Facilities & Administrative Rate Application and Exception Process

Instruction and Students
Confidentiality of Student Information (Student Privacy Rights/FERPA)
Dissemination and Recording of Course Materials and Activities
Copyright Guidelines for Instructional Sharing, including Scanning and Delivery of Books
Determination and Assignation of Academic Credit
Grading Practices (see Teaching Courses for Academic Credit)
Graduate Assistantships
Honor Resources for Faculty and TAs
Inclement Weather/Emergencies
Disruption of Normal University Operations Resulting from Weather or Emergency Events
Reporting by University Employees of Disclosures Relating to the Policy on Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Other Forms of Interpersonal Violence and the Preventing and Addressing Discrimination and Harassment, and Preventing and Addressing Retaliation Policies
Religious Observances, Requests for Academic Accommodation (see Teaching Courses for Academic Credit)
Safety of Students in Laboratories, Makerspaces, Shops, and Studios
More Information Regarding Shop, Studios and Makerspaces Safety
Student Academic Suspension Grievances
Student and Graduate Medical Education Trainee International Travel

External Relations
Campaigning For and Serving in a Public Office
Communicating with Government Officials
Communicating with the Media and External Constituencies
Endorsement of External Entities and Products
Political Activity
Solicitation and Acceptance of Gifts to the University