Disclosure of professors’ outside income opposed

By Jeff German (contact), Cy Ryan (contact)

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Full text of Senate Bill 279

Archive of Sun politics stories

Carson City — University system officials and professors voiced opposition Monday to a bill that would make public all disclosure forms filed by faculty members earning outside income.

Senate Bill 279 is the result of a 2007 Sun investigation that found flaws in the way UNLV kept track of the outside income of its professors, the measure’s sponsor, state Sen. Terry Care, said.

The Sun found that UNLV officials had no idea how many professors were earning extra cash, and the university had no system in place to monitor potential conflicts of interest. UNLV officials refused to give the Sun copies of the disclosure forms, saying university system rules classified them as confidential personnel records.

But Care, a Las Vegas Democrat, disagreed Monday.

“It’s best to err in full disclosure,” Care said, adding that his bill doesn’t require professors to disclose the amount of their outside compensation.

Jane Nichols, vice chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education and James Richardson of the Nevada Faculty Alliance told members of the Senate Government Affairs Committee they were concerned companies won’t hire professors for independent work if that information is disclosed to competitors.

Nichols and Richardson said the university system has a “rigorous plan” in place now to prevent conflicts without making public the disclosure forms.

Faculty members must submit the forms to their department head or college dean, who will decide whether a conflict exists. Final approval for outside work rests with the president of each institution.

When the Sun sought the disclosure records in 2007, a majority of the regents said they favored a policy of openness. But at a public meeting, the regents approved a written policy that ensured the records would remain in the confidential personnel files.

Every year under the policy, Nichols said, each college or university must submit a report indicating how many professors have outside employment contracts, but the names of the faculty members and the details of their contracts can’t be made public.

Richardson asked Government Affairs Committee members Monday to “give us a year or two or three” to see how the process works.

But Barry Smith, director of the Nevada Press Association, said the process sheds little public light on any conflicts. He said the Sun investigation found that there was underreporting of the outside jobs at UNLV.

“There is no provision for the public to find out” if a conflict exists, Smith told lawmakers.

Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, the committee chairman, told the sides to get together to see whether an agreement can be worked out. The committee is to vote on the bill Wednesday.

Discussion: 7 comments so far…

By Elizabeth

4/7/09 at 9:02 a.m.

Suggest removal

What are the professors afraid of by having transparency. I thought that was the liberal way?
By afveteran

4/7/09 at 9:50 a.m.

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Part time and side jobs should be of no concern to no one but the guy who puts the money in his rainy day fund bank.
By Harley

4/7/09 at 10:27 a.m.

Suggest removal

When the man was asked what he did for a living he replied, "I mind my own business; and you?"

LOL
By getalife

4/7/09 at 11:41 a.m.

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I think this is a good idea. These Professors are probably spending more time on extra-curricular activities than they on doing their actual jobs. Another reason to cut the budget and make them actually accountable.
By LV4LIFE

4/7/09 at 1:41 p.m.

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What these people do in their down time to make money is no ones business.
By Nick

4/7/09 at 2:35 p.m.

Suggest removal

This should be disclosed. LV4Life does not get it. Recently a medical school found professors getting paid big money rm pharmaceuatical companies and then telling students about the benefits of the drugs in the lectures!

If they dont like it, they can leave.
By gopher

4/8/09 at 8:13 a.m.

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I have to submit a complete financial and business transaction statement every year and these public slugs are crying foul? I am paying your salary and have a right to know if you have a conflict of interest while working for me. If you don't like it, give up your lifetime job and peddle your Ph.D. somewhere else.