The professional expertise of the Norman campus university faculty is normally available to the state and its citizens for incidental and minor services without remuneration. When the services desired from outside the university exceed a reasonable limit agreed to by the appropriate vice president and the faculty member, direct extra remuneration may be accepted, provided the extent of the involvement does not infringe on the faculty member's regular university duties.
A person who accepts full-time faculty employment on the Norman campus in the university assumes a primary professional obligation to the university. Any other employment or enterprise in which he or she engages for income shall be secondary to his or her university work and, after consultation with those reviewing requests for outside employment and extra compensation, shall accept the judgment of the President and Board of Regents as to whether he/she may engage in such employment and retain full-time employment on the Norman campus faculty.
In addition, the department chair should be informed and approve of arrangements that are made to dismiss classes or provide substitute teachers for them when the faculty members are to be absent from these duties. Absence for more than one week at a time for outside employment when classes are in session will require prior written approval of the Senior Vice President and Provost. All professional activities, whether within the university or without, whether for extra remuneration or for no remuneration of any kind, should contribute to the faculty member's professional growth or efficiency and to his or her teaching or scholarly competence. (Section 5.7.1 Norman Campus Faculty Handbook)
Consulting on sponsored projects (paid or not) should only involve faculty time, should be minimal, and should be approved by the department chair. If university resources (lab, supplies, other personnel, etc.) are involved, then the proposed work should be coordinated through the Office of Research Services (ORS).
Investigators should not process payments for consulting work through their departments (bypassing ORS) if the work is related to a grant, contract, and/or agreement involving funds for sponsored projects/research. If an OU Norman investigator includes consultants on a sponsored project, they should ensure the consultants are able to receive payments as individuals or that their organization is involved and approves of the consulting arrangement. Normally, if indirect costs are included (or should be included) in payments, it will be a subcontract.
