External Professional Activities.

As per the BU Faculty Handbook, faculty are allowed to engage in external professional activities provided they comply with the Conflict of Commitment Policy. By definition, this policy refers to activities that are external to BU, and as per the policy: “Faculty may not use University resources (including but not limited to funds, facilities, and equipment), personnel (including students and University employees), confidential information, or indicators of University endorsement in connection with External Professional Activities except in a purely incidental way.” External professional activity is generally limited to twenty percent of the faculty member’s total professional effort during their contract year.

For activities conducted external to BU, funds should be paid directly to the faculty member (with no BU involvement). For activities conducted internal to BU, projects should be administered through the Office of Sponsored Programs.

If a faculty member would like to direct funds earned via external activities toward supporting activities at SPH, then after they receive payment directly (with no BU involvement), the faculty member may donate the funds through our SPH Development Office.  However, all donations must comply with the University’s Gift Policy and Crediting Manual. In particular, this policy “prohibits the use of donated funds (or substituted equivalent amounts from institutional funds) to fund any or all of the employee/donor’s salary.” It also states that “contributions can not be set aside for the specific use of a person or persons but can be directed to a specific department, program, or research area.”

Please contact the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Advancement with any questions about external professional activities.