UC Davis Good Standing Policy for Academics

Effective September 2025. FAQ below

I. Purpose

The UC Davis Good Standing Policy for Academics codifies expectations of Academics to fulfill certain mandatory responsibilities. It includes:

a definition of good standing within this UC Davis Good Standing Policy;
a description of the administrative review process that occurs when an Academic is determined to be out of compliance with this policy;
consequences for not being in good standing within this policy; and
the process by which an Academic may return to good standing within this policy.

II. Definitions

A. Academic — As used in this policy, the term Academic includes all nonrepresented academic appointees, but does not include students.

B. Good Standing — To be considered in good standing within the UC Davis Good Standing Policy, an Academic must:

i. be meeting expectations of the department chair and dean with regard to carrying out academic duties as commonly understood (e.g., fulfilling responsibilities with respect to research, teaching, and service, and/or criteria depending on academic title, as specified in the relevant section of the UC Academic Personnel Manual);
ii. be up to date on their training and reporting requirements;
iii. be in compliance with all applicable University policies;
iv. have a completed Oath and Patent Acknowledgement form on file;
v. not be under a current sanction imposed either by a formal disciplinary process or an informal agreement with the University of California in lieu of formal disciplinary action, except to the extent that the sanction or agreement explicitly includes the provision of not being in good standing for a defined period of time; and
vi. satisfy the good standing requirements of APM 670 and the current UC Davis School of Medicine and School of Nursing Health Sciences Compensation Plan Implementation Procedures if those requirements apply to the Academic.

III. Opportunities Associated with Good Standing

When an Academic is in Good Standing as defined above, they may be eligible for certain opportunities. Conversely, the following opportunities are not available to Academics who are not in Good Standing:

New endowed appointments and/or reappointments
▪ eligibility will be restored following recovery of good standing
If applicable, range adjustments on future off-scale salary components and above scale salaries¹
▪ range adjustments will only be applied beginning the month following recovery of good standing and are not retroactive
If applicable, salary equity program²
▪ an equity adjustment for qualifying Academics will be applied in the month following recovery of good standing and are not retroactive
Discretionary leaves of absence (non-medical), including sabbatical and professional development
▪ eligibility will be restored following recovery of good standing
New Academic administrative/leadership appointments (e.g., APM 241, APM 246), including graduate group/program chair, department chair, associate dean, and director
▪ eligibility will be restored following recovery of good standing
New outside professional activities that require approval (as outlined in APM 025 and APM 671)
▪ eligibility will be restored following recovery of good standing

¹enforcement of the Good Standing policy in relation to range adjustments will begin effective July 1, 2026
² enforcement of the Good Standing policy in relation to salary equity programs will begin effective July 1, 2026

IV. Assessing and Reinstating Good Standing

A. Assessment of Good Standing

Prior to being considered for any of the opportunities listed in Section III, an Academic shall take reasonable steps and consult with their department leadership to verify that they are in good standing.
Prior to awarding any of the opportunities discussed in Section III, the appropriate administrator/leader or recommending/approval authority shall confirm that the relevant Academic is in Good Standing.
Any Academic appointee who is not in Good Standing shall not be granted any of the opportunities discussed in Section III until appropriate administrator/leader or recommending/approval authority confirms that the individual has once again achieved Good Standing.

B. Reinstatement of Good Standing
If an Academic is proposed for an opportunity discussed in Section III, but is subsequently determined to be ineligible because they lack Good Standing status:

The Academic may submit a request to the appropriate administrator/leader or recommending/approval authority to be returned to Good Standing immediately upon achieving the requirements of Good Standing status. Following restoration, there are no further repercussions for having temporarily lost Good Standing.
If the Academic returns to Good Standing before a final decision on the opportunity for which they were deemed ineligible is made, their former status alone will not disqualify them from the opportunity.
If the Academic is unable to complete the requirements to return to Good Standing due to exigent circumstances by the opportunity’s deadline and has their supervisor’s endorsement, the Academic may request a time-limited extension for good cause by writing to the Dean, Vice Chancellor, or Vice Provost overseeing their unit, with a copy to the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. Those individuals will confer and determine whether an extension is warranted.
If, after repeated documented requests by the Dean, an Academic remains noncompliant with required trainings and/or reporting for more than 30 days following the initial request, initial efforts to address this may include documented discussions between the academic leader and the affected Academic.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

1) Will Deans offices receive a report on those who are not in good standing ahead of any potential range adjustments?
Academic Affairs will make available, on a quarterly basis to Dean’s Office academic personnel colleagues, a report for their school/college regarding the status of their academics’ compliance with the mandated Human Resources training as well as UC OATS annual certifications and Sabbatical Reports. Other requirements in the Good Standing Policy are to be managed by each school/college.
By the end of January 2026, Deans’ offices will be able to indicate in APHID if an academic is not in Good Standing. After January 2026, the deans’ offices should continue to monitor the status of their academics, e.g., did any faculty “fall out” of good standing based on any of the criteria, and update that status in APHID on a rolling basis.

Any salary related adjustments as part of the good standing policy will not be effective until July 1, 2026.
2) Who is responsible for communicating that an academic won’t receive the range and informing them of how they can re-instate good standing?
The Dean’s office will be responsible for informing academics if they are not in good standing and what areas need to be addressed in order to get to the status of being in good standing, e.g., completing mandatory training. If the appointee member sufficiently corrects the areas that caused them to be out of good standing, their status can change to regain good standing.
3) How is Good Standing status determined and how does the timing work throughout the year?
Determination of good standing is based on those items listed in the policy, Section II.B, and should be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year. For all opportunities listed in the Good Standing Policy, Section III, good standing status is determined on the date the academic is considered eligible for the opportunity., i.e., consideration for a leadership role, consideration for an endowed chair, etc., and before the appointment/reappointment to the opportunity can proceed.
4) Section III regarding eligibility for a salary equity program: is this only for “official” campus mandated equity programs or does this apply to School/College decision to provide equity? Often when we recruit a new faculty member, we must offer a higher offscale salary component (OSC) than current faculty in that discipline and we often increase current faculty (as part of our request to the Vice Provost) to the OSC. Are we required to ensure good standing for that type of equity?
It is up to the deans if they want to extend the Good Standing Policy further than what is currently prescribed.
5) Who will have access to the newly created APHID site? Will department chairs and CAOs be given access?
At this time, we have set up access to the new Good Standing sections in APHID for the following:
• VPAA office or School/college dean’s office: read/write
• Dean, Department Chair, or Department Admin: read only
6) Is there a list of trainings required to be in good standing?
A list of individuals within a School/College that are identified as not current with all campus-issued Mandatory Employee Trainings (https://hr.ucdavis.edu/performance-appraisals/mandatory-training) will be issued to each school/college by Academic Affairs on a monthly basis. Additionally, any school/college-specific required trainings will be the responsibility of the school/college to confirm and verify current status.
7) How are academics on leaves assessed for Good Standing?
Assessment of Good Standing is paused while an academic is on an active leave. Upon their return, they will be assessed for Good Standing and be given the opportunity to rectify any items that may put them out of Good Standing.
8) How will Good Standing be examined in context of the July and October range adjustments?
While this piece is still under careful consideration, Academic Affairs plans to communicate with the Dean’s Offices well before the range adjustment process. This initial communication will set a date that the data managers will use as the basis of a Good Standing check. On this specified date, data managers will pull a report from APHID that shows all of the good standing overrides (where someone is showing up as not in compliance with the Good Standing policy) active and entered into APHID, along with a list of individuals that may be showing out of compliance for the items of Mandatory trainings as assigned by central Human Resources, Outside Professional Activities (OPA) Annual Reporting, and Sabbatical reporting. This full list of exclusions will be made available to the Dean’s Offices alongside the preliminary range report.
During the allotted timeframe to review the preliminary range report, Dean’s Offices can reach out to the data managers if any of the exclusions should be removed. After the deadline, Dean’s Offices will be responsible for working with their shared service centers to enter any range adjustments for these excluded academics when they return into good standing.
9) How does Good Standing intersect with the Compliance Check Process?
Currently, dean’s offices will be monitoring good standing status for academics and those who are being considered for leadership positions. At this time, we are continuing to conduct the compliance checks in the same way they have been, so both processes will run simultaneously and be required for consideration for leadership positions outlined in the Good Standing policy.
10) How is Good Standing assessed when an academic has multiple joint appointments?
Good Standing is assessed on the individual, and will require the individual to be in good standing across all of their joint appointments in order to be considered for the opportunities under “III. Opportunities Associated with Good Standing”
11) Does this policy apply to lecturers or other represented academics?
No, represented academics are not subject to this policy. However, they are employees and are expected to comply with applicable policies and their collective bargaining agreement(s).
12) Are there consequences for those who are planning to retire? Will being out of good standing have an effect on their retirement?
No effect on retirement. However, for an academic being recalled to work, they would have to pass a compliance check that includes being current on all required trainings.
13) How does academic advancement intersect with good standing?
Good standing is not tied to academic advancement, nor would advancement be impeded by being out of good standing.
14) How can an academic tell if they are in good standing at a given time?
Please consult with your department or dean’s office and they can determine if there is anything currently putting someone out of good standing. If an academic wonders about LMS trainings, they can go to https://lms.ucdavis.edu/ and check the “Required Training (training analysis) button.
15) Are students working in our departments affected by this policy?
They are not covered by this policy (per the definitions they are excluded).
16) If an academic has not taken required steps to return to good standing after several notices, what next steps are recommended?
As described in the policy, if the academic remains non-compliant after repeated requests from the Dean, the academic leader (Dean/Associate Dean or Department Chair) should engage in a documented discussion that covers the policy requirements and the consequences affected until compliance is achieved. Those consequences consist of those items noted in section III of the policy. Academic Affairs can assist with preparing those points for the academic leader and with the necessary follow-up.
17) What are some of the training and reporting requirements mentioned in II. B. ii?
Required trainings are assigned in the campus learning management system. For reporting, sabbatical reports and annual certifications of outside professional activity are prominent, centrally-tracked examples.
18) I tried taking a training on LMS and it said I had already completed it, but it shows as being required. What is going on?
Some training certifications expire after a given amount of time (e.g. yearly). If the training displays this message but is expired, please complete the training to remain in compliance.
19) When taking a training on LMS, I clicked on English (Tagalog) by mistake (or some other language) and now I can't read the training. Can you help?
Please cancel the course registration for that training and start the process again to get a new opportunity for language select.
20) What would be an example of a faculty member not being in good standing per this requirement from the policy: II.B.i. be meeting expectations of the department chair and dean with regard to carrying out academic duties as commonly understood (e.g., fulfilling responsibilities with respect to research, teaching, and service, and/or criteria depending on academic title, as specified in the relevant section of the UC Academic Personnel Manual)?
This could consist of when a department chair or dean has deemed that the academic is not meeting their academic duties and shares that with Academic Affairs. A direct example of this is if an APM 075 process has been initiated for a faculty member. APM 075 is the policy outlining termination for incompetent performance. If this process has been initiated, the faculty member will be considered to not be in good standing. If during the APM 075 process the faculty member has been deemed to have met the expectations outlined by leadership and the APM 075 process is ended, then the faculty member will return to good standing (as long as they are in compliance with all other sections of the Good Standing policy.)
21) If my Annual Certification from UC OATS is waiting because a Category I request from that year is holding up submitting the item, what should I do regarding good standing?
Category I requests require pre-approval before engaging in the activity. Best practices and campus guidance have consistently advised that these requests should be submitted in UC Outside Activities Tracking System (OATS) well ahead of when the activity is to commence, e.g., at least eight (8) weeks in advance. Additionally, if the request has been submitted and approved in advance, it should not impact the annual certification being completed on time so that good standing is not impacted regarding this item.
If you have concerns about good standing related to Outside Professional Activities (OPA) reporting currently in progress, please contact your Dean's office to learn what is needed. For additional resources on OPA and UC OATS, refer to this page.