How to Certify and Submit an Annual Certification Report of Outside Professional Activities (OPA)
View Vice Provost Kass's email messages about Outside Professional Activities (OPA) Annual Certification Reporting for AY/FY 2024-25
Initial Call (July 2025): email message and attachment
Reminder (October 2025): email message and attachment
- ACADEMIC YEAR (AY) FACULTY – SUBJECT TO APM 025
- ♦ Reporting NO Outside Professional Activities (OPA) – if you did not engage in OPA
♦ Reporting Outside Professional Activities (OPA) – if you did engage in OPA, make sure to enter those activities first (refer to "Entering a New Activity" below)
♦ Summer Salary Information – applies to Academic Year (AY) Faculty only
♦ Entering a New Activity into UC OATS
IMPORTANT: Category I activities require prior approval. UC Davis requires additional information to be included for the review of Category I prior approval requests. The additional information must be included or attached to the "Notes" section of your prior approval request in UC OATS, otherwise, the request will be returned and cause delays in the review process. Note: there are three sections to the form. Everyone must complete Section 1 and either Section 2 and/or Section 3 depending on the activity/activities selected for prior approval.
♦ APM 025 – UCD's Additional Information Requirements for Category I Prior Approval Requests
♦ Categories II & III do not require prior approval
♦ Tips for AY Faculty Reporting Effort - FISCAL YEAR (FY) FACULTY and FY SPECIALISTS IN COOPERATIVE EXTENSION (CE) – SUBJECT TO APM 025
- ♦ Reporting NO Outside Professional Activities (OPA) – if you did not engage in OPA
♦ Reporting Outside Professional Activities (OPA) – if you did engage in OPA, make sure to enter those activities first (refer to "Entering a New Activity" below)
♦ Entering a New Activity into UC OATS
IMPORTANT: Category I activities require prior approval. UC Davis requires additional information to be included for the review of Category I prior approval requests. The additional information must be included or attached to the "Notes" section of your prior approval request in UC OATS, otherwise, the request will be returned and cause delays in the review process. Note: there are three sections to the form. Everyone must complete Section 1 and either Section 2 and/or Section 3 depending on the activity/activities selected for prior approval.
♦ APM 025 – UCD's Additional Information Requirements for Category I Prior Approval Requests
♦ Categories II & III do not require prior approval
♦ Tips for FY Faculty and Specialists in Cooperative Extension (CE) Reporting Effort - HEALTH SCIENCES COMPENSATION PLAN FACULTY – SUBJECT TO APM 671
- ♦ Reporting NO Outside Professional Activities (OPA) – if you did not engage in OPA
♦ Reporting Outside Professional Activities (OPA) – if you did engage in OPA, make sure to enter those activities first (refer to "Entering a New Activity" below)
♦ Entering a New Activity into UC OATS
IMPORTANT: Category I activities require prior approval. UC Davis requires additional information to be included for the review of Category I prior approval requests. The additional information must be included or attached to the "Notes" section of your prior approval request in UC OATS, otherwise, the request will be returned and cause delays in the review process. Note: there are three sections to the form. Everyone must complete Section 1 and either Section 2 and/or Section 3 depending on the activity/activities selected for prior approval.
♦ APM 671 – Additional Information Requirements for Category I Prior Approval Requests
♦ Categories II & III do not require prior approval. Note: When effort spent on Category II activities exceeds time and/or earnings thresholds, prior approval along with additional documentation is required. Refer to the "Documentation Matrix..."
♦ Tips for Faculty, in Health Sciences, reporting effort - DEPARTMENT CHAIRS and ASSOCIATE DEANS
- ♦ Reporting Instructions for Department Chairs
♦ Associate Deans/Executive Associate Deans (part-time faculty administrators assigned a "Dean Approver" role in UC OATS):
Before submitting your annual certification report, please email Kim Poole (kcpoole@ucdavis.edu) advising that you’re ready to submit your report and she will coordinate next steps with you. - DEANS and FULL-TIME FACULTY ADMINISTRATORS
- ♦ Overview of Reporting Requirements for Deans and Full-Time Faculty Administrators
♦ I did not engage in any OPA – steps to submit my annual certification report
♦ I need to **enter a new OPA – subject to APM 025 / subject to APM 671
♦ My OPA are entered – steps to submit my annual certification report
**IMPORTANT: Category I activities require prior approval. UC Davis requires additional information to be included for the review of Category I prior approval requests. The additional information must be included or attached to the "Notes" section of your prior approval request in UC OATS, otherwise, the request will be returned and cause delays in the review process. Note: there are three sections to the form. Everyone must complete Section 1 and either Section 2 and/or Section 3 depending on the activity/activities selected for prior approval.
♦ APM 025 – UCD's Additional Information Requirements for Category I Prior Approval Requests
♦ APM 671 – UCD's Additional Information Requirements for Category I Prior Approval Requests
♦ Deans and Full-Time Faculty Administrators Workspace Overview – subject to APM 025
♦ Category III Reporting Requirements – subject to APM 025
♦ Deans and Full-Time Faculty Administrators Workspace Overview – subject to APM 671 (SOM and SON)
♦ Category III Reporting Requirements – subject to APM 671 (SOM and SON) - INSTRUCTIONS FOR REVIEWERS and APPROVERS
Note: Any prior approval requests (Category I, Student Involvement, Over the TH) that are en route for review will prevent the "Dean Approver" role from accepting the annual certification report. In other words, the report cannot be accepted as finalized until outstanding requests are completed first. Annual reports are considered complete/finalized only after the Dean Approver role has accepted them.
REVIEWERS (Department Staff, Managers, or CAOs / Deans' Offices Analysts) Annual Certification – APM 025 Bulk Approvals (w/o activities) – APM 025 Annual Certification – APM 671 Bulk Approvals (w/o activities) – APM 671 Reviewer roles are generally managed by department managers or CAOs at the department level. When UC OATS was implemented each dean's office made the decision about whether or not department academic personnel staff would have access to review department-level requests in UC OATS. If you do not have access, please consult with your dean's office first before submitting a help desk ticket to gain access. Differently, deans' office analysts manage the reviewer role at the school/college level.
The reviewer role is responsible for reviewing and submitting annual reports as well as any requests that require prior approval (e.g., Category I, Student Involvement, and Exceeding the TH for Health Sciences) before forwarding them to the approver level. However, if an annual report is missing information, then it may be necessary to return the report to be updated. For example, there are activities reported yet no effort (time/hours) is reported. Note that faculty subject to APM 671 must also report their earnings in addition to effort (time/hours).
APPROVERS (Department Chairs / Associate Deans / Executive Associate Deans / Deans) Annual Certification – APM 025 Bulk Approvals (w/o activities) – APM 025 Annual Certification – APM 671 Bulk Approvals (w/o activities) – APM 671 Approver roles are managed by Department Chairs at the department level, whereas Deans/Executive Associate Deans/Associate Deans/Deans may manage the role at the school/college level. The approver role is responsible for reviewing and accepting the annual reports. However, if an annual report is missing information, then it may be necessary to return the report to be updated. For example, there are activities reported, but no effort (time/hours) is reported. Note that faculty subject to APM 671 must also report their earnings in addition to effort (time/hours).