Get to Know our New Employees in Human Resources!

FRS Investment Plan Beneficiary Designations

Please be sure to keep your beneficiaries current so your benefits (if any) are passed to your named beneficiaries upon your death. You have four options for submitting your beneficiary information:

1. By using the Online FRS Investment Plan Beneficiary Designation form (accessible without login).

2. By logging in to MyFRS.com and clicking “Investment Plan,” then clicking on the “profile” icon on the top right of the page, then selecting “Beneficiaries” from the dropdown menu.

3. By mailing or faxing an FRS Investment Plan Beneficiary Designation form (IPBEN-1), to the Investment Plan Administrator.

4. By calling the MyFRS Financial Guidance Line at 1.866.446.9377, Option 4 (TRS 711).

If your designated beneficiary dies or your marital status changes, it is important for you to submit a new beneficiary designation to be sure your account is distributed as you wish in case of your death. Florida law requires that if you name someone other than your spouse as primary beneficiary, your spouse must acknowledge this designation.

Outside Activity and Conflict of Interests

All Outside Activity Forms are due to Human Resources by August 15, 2026

The University of West Florida encourages its employees to engage in activities supporting their professional growth, creating new knowledge and ideas, and furthering the University’s mission of excellence in teaching, research, and service. University employees’ primary professional obligation, however, is to act in the best interest of the University and to maintain the highest ethical and professional standards. A University employee’s outside activities or interests, however, must not conflict, or appear to conflict, with their professional obligations to the University of West Florida. Accordingly, the HR-23.02-04/22, Outside Activities and Conflicts of Interest, policy establishes standards and requirements to protect the University’s financial well-being, reputation, and legal obligations and provides a system for identifying, reporting, and managing real or apparent conflicts. Disclosing outside activities fosters UWF’s support of these efforts.

Faculty covered by the United Faculty of Florida Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) should refer to Article 21 of the CBA, Conflict of Interest/Outside Activity, for information regarding reporting outside activities. Certain terms of the CBA differ from the information in this notice; in which case, in-unit faculty should follow the provisions of the CBA.

The outside activity form is due in Human Resources by August 15, 2026, for all Executive Service, Faculty, University Work Force, and OPS employees. 

Adjuncts and student employees DO NOT need to complete the outside activity form unless they are conducting or participating in research at UWF.

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES

An outside activity includes any activity, compensated or uncompensated, which is not part of the employee's assigned duties for the University and for which the University has provided the employee with no compensation. Employees must disclose outside activities on the appropriate outside activity-conflict of interest form.

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES REQUIRED TO REPORT

●     Employment outside of UWF

●     Private consulting, advising, and speaking

●     Teaching and/or research appointments for an entity other than UWF

●     Seeking an elected public office

●     Serving as an expert witness or legal consultant

●     Practicing as a licensed professional

●     Service on a Board of Directors

●     Presentation at professional meetings in which an honorarium is paid to the employee

●     Professional activities provided in a foreign country, or directing the activities of others in a foreign country

●     Activities involving more than incidental use of UWF facilities, equipment, or services

●     Activities requiring the waiver or assignment of the employee’s or UWF’s rights or interests to any inventions or works that may be developed during the course of or from the activity

●     Required use of books, supplies, equipment, or instructional resources at UWF when they are created or published by the employee or by an entity in which the employee has financial interest.

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES NOT REQUIRED TO REPORT

●     Peer review of articles or research proposals

●     Unpaid scholarly collaborations at another domestic academic or research institution

●     Receiving an honorary degree from another institution

●     Editorial services for educational or professional organizations

●     Conducting workshops for professional societies

●     Musical or other creative performances and exhibitions that are consistent with the faculty member’s discipline

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

A conflict of interest generally means a situation in which regard for a private interest tends to lead to disregard of a public duty or interest.

WHEN MUST A FORM BE SUBMITTED

All employees (Faculty, Work Force, and OPS) must report as follows:

●     Each year by August 15. 

●     Each time an employee plans to engage in a new activity requiring disclosure

●     Any time there is a significant change in an activity which has previously been reported

●     Where the uncompensated activity:

⮚    Creates or reasonably appears to create a conflict of interest

⮚    Interferes or reasonably appears to interfere with the full performance of the employee’s responsibilities or other University obligations

⮚    Interferes with the employee’s primary commitment of time, attention, and energies to the University

Note: Students and Adjuncts only need to complete the outside activity form if they participate in the design, conduct, and reporting of research or other types of sponsored projects.

WHY DO I HAVE TO REPORT

●     Florida Statute requires that all employees must report conflicts and outside activities (See Florida Statute 112.313, Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees, and Florida Statute 1012.977)

●     University Policy requires it

●     The policy and statute were instituted to create an environment of transparency and fairness to the citizens of the state

●     To prevent abuse, including bribery, nepotism, and exploitation of employment

USE OF UNIVERSITY FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES

●     Any employee who wishes to request the use of University facilities, equipment, or personnel in conjunction with an outside activity or employment must submit a written request for such use using the appropriate Request for Approval of Use of University Resources form will need to be completed and approved. Failure to submit such a request constitutes specific lack of permission to use any University resources in conjunction with an outside activity or employment. Each request will be evaluated on its own merits. The University is under no obligation to grant any such request.

●     An employee engaging in an outside activity shall not use the facilities, equipment, or services of the University in connection with the outside activity without prior approval of the appropriate supervisory authority. Approval of the use of University facilities, equipment, or services shall be conditioned upon reimbursement of the costs related to such use. A form for requesting approval for use of University resources must be completed and approved.

●     Charges for the use of University facilities by employees for their outside activities shall be at the same rate as ordinarily charged to the general public.

USE OF TEXTBOOKS

●     Any employee who wishes to require a class that the employee instructs to use a textbook or other educational material that the employee wrote or prepared, must complete the Textbook Authorization form. This form must be completed and approved up through the Provost prior to requiring the use of the textbook or other educational materials. 

●     If you are an instructor reporting to a chair and you wish to require a class that you instruct to use a textbook or other educational material that you wrote or prepared, please use this Dynamic Form.

●     If you are the chair of a department or dean of a college and you wish to require a class that you instruct to use a textbook or other educational material that you wrote or prepared, please use this Dynamic Form.

●     To proceed to the form, you will be required to fill in the name(s) and e-mail address(es) of your Chair, Dean, or Vice President as applicable. Be sure to click on the blue floppy disk icon to save after you fill in this information. 

●     If you do not click “sign electronically,” but have saved your information, the form will be available for you to complete and the process by clicking “draft forms” on the dynamic forms starting page.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH

Federal regulations require that, when federal funds are allocated through a grant or contract, the University must examine conflicts and, where appropriate, report them to the federal agency. Federal regulations require that the University manage, reduce, or eliminate any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may be presented by certain compensated outside activities and other financial interests of persons involved in sponsored research projects funded by the federal government. The primary purpose of the federal regulations is to prevent bias in the design, conduct, or reporting of research projects.

WHAT IF I DON’T REPORT

●     An employee’s failure to fully and properly report outside activities and other interests as required by this Policy or failure to follow any conditions imposed pursuant to the University’s approval of such activities may be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

●     Where approval for an outside activity is based upon a report containing incomplete or inaccurate information provided by the employee, the approval is null and void.

●     In accordance with Florida Statutes Section 1012.977, any employee engaged in the design, conduct, or reporting of research who failed to disclose an outside activity related to their UWF area of expertise or any financial interest shall be suspended without pay pending the outcome of an investigation which shall not exceed 60 days. Upon conclusion of the investigation, the university may terminate the contract of the employee. Failure by an employee to comply with this policy or a conflict of interest monitoring or management plan may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination for just cause.

PROCEED TO THE OUTSIDE ACTIVITY FORM

●      If you have multiple outside activities, each activity must be on a separate outside activity form.

●      Click the Outside Activity Form to proceed to the form

●      When you click “NO” to “Do you have an outside activity?”, you will receive an email to sign the DocuSign form. To complete the process, you must respond to this email and sign the form. This will complete the process.

●      When you click “YES” to “Do you have an outside activity?”, you will receive an email to complete additional questions before you sign the document. You must respond to this email to complete the process.

●      Your routing for approval will be automatically populated. If the approval names are not correct or not available, you can manually change or input the correct names.

●      You will need to check your email and review (open the pdf) your form to see if it was approved or declined.

●      For additional guidance, the University of West Florida HR 23.02-04/22, Outside Activities and Conflicts of Interest, policy provides guidance to employees seeking to engage in outside activities.

If you have any questions, please contact Jamie Sprague by email, or at 850.474.2156.

Check Out the Advisor Service Tool on MyFRS.com

The Advisor Service is available to all FRS members at no additional cost by logging in to your account on MyFRS.com.

Investment Plan members can use the Advisor Service to help manage the investments in the Investment Plan. Both Investment Plan and Pension Plan members are able to add other investment accounts you or your spouse may own (e.g., 457, 403(b), IRAs, taxable brokerage account) to receive objective, personalized investment recommendations.

To learn more, log in to MyFRS.com and click the “Advisor” button. If you have any questions, call the MyFRS Financial Guidance Line at 1.866.446.9377, Option 2 (TRS 711).

Start the Semester Strong with LinkedIn Learning

As we begin a new semester, now is a great time to invest in your professional growth. All UWF employees have complimentary access to LinkedIn Learning, an online learning platform offering thousands of on-demand courses in leadership, communication, customer service, Microsoft Office, project management, technology, and more.

Getting started is easy! Log in to MyUWF and search for "LinkedIn Learning" to launch the platform. Whether you're looking to strengthen your current skills, explore a new topic, or set professional development goals for the year ahead, LinkedIn Learning provides flexible learning opportunities that fit your schedule.

Human Resources encourages employees to make professional development part of their goals for the new fiscal year. Even dedicating a small amount of time each week can help build valuable skills that support both individual success and the University's mission.

For questions regarding LinkedIn Learning or other professional development opportunities, please contact the Assistant Director of Employee Relations, Jack Kolodziejski, at 850.474.2292.

Title IX and Equal Opportunity in Action

As we welcome students and colleagues back for the new academic year, this is a good time to revisit our shared responsibility under Title VII and Title IX. UWF Policies P-13 and P-14 classify all employees as mandatory reporters, which means that if you witness or become aware of conduct that may constitute discrimination or harassment, you are required to promptly report it to the Title IX Coordinator / Equal Opportunity Officer, Jenny Palacios at 850.474.2175. 

Reporting isn't just a compliance step. It connects individuals with supportive measures (academic or work accommodations, no-contact directives, counseling referrals, and more) that can make a real difference, regardless of whether a formal complaint is ever filed. Our office is glad to partner with your department to talk through a specific situation, clarify obligations, or design supportive measures collaboratively.

We also offer training for teams and departments at any point in the year, including refreshers on recognizing reportable conduct and how to respond with care. Reach out anytime to schedule a session for your unit. 

Learn more on our Title IX and Equal Opportunity websites.

Thank you for helping us build a safe, supportive campus community.

Using the Personnel Action Form Template in DocuSign

Sending a Personnel Action Form (PAF) for University Work Force, Faculty, or OPS Staff employees? You can save time and streamline your workflow by using our pre-built DocuSign templates!

To get started, two division-specific templates are available in DocuSign:

• Personnel Action Form - Academic Affairs
• Personnel Action Form - NON Academic Affairs

💡 Need Access? Access to these templates is managed by Academic Affairs or Human Resources, depending upon the template.

To complete a PAF using one of the templates, utilize the following steps:

1. Generate the Personnel Action Form (PAF) – You will generate the PAF through the customary PAF generator tool in MyUWF and save it as a PDF to your computer so it can be uploaded to DocuSign. The PAF generator will automatically name the PDF using elements from the PAF. Please do not change the generated file name before you upload it to DocuSign. The file name generated contains important information that is used by Human Resources.
2. Open DocuSign – Log into MyUWF. Once there, search for DocuSign. Click DocuSign in the search results and a new tab will open and you will be automatically logged in.
3. Begin a New Envelope – Once in DocuSign, click the blue START button and select Send an Envelope.
4. Upload the Saved Personnel Action Form – Click the blue UPLOAD button at the top of the page, locate the PDF you saved of the PAF, and click Open.
5. Apply the Template– Once the PDF is uploaded into DocuSign, click on the ellipsis at the bottom right corner of the document image and select Apply Templates. When the template selection dialog comes up, choose Browse (if not already your default) and select Shared with Me on the left side menu. You may have several templates shared with you, so you may need to search for the correct one. Choose the template which you have access to for your division by clicking the check box for the correct template and then click the blue APPLY SELECTED button at the bottom.
6. Attaching Additional Documents (Optional) – After you have applied the template to the PAF, you have the option of attaching additional documents. Nobody will be asked to sign those additional pages, but they will be available for each signer to review, if needed. Simply click the blue Upload button in the box to the right of the PAF and upload the additional documents. Do not apply any templates to the additional documents.
7. Choose Signers – Once the template is applied, you will see a pre-set list of signers. Each signer's role is named exactly as it appears on the PAF. To remove any signers that are not needed, click the trash can icon next to each signer. If you need additional signers, add those via the "Add Recipient" button at the bottom of the list. You will need to reorder the list to ensure the additional signers are located before HR. Adding additional signers after HR will cause the form to not be properly or fully completed. You also have the option to add additional recipients at the bottom that only need to receive a copy of the completed document once signed by HR. Please be sure that you only select the "Receives a Copy" option for those additional cc: recipients and never the "Needs to Sign" option or the envelope will not properly complete.
8. Adding Email Subject Line (Optional) – At the bottom of the page there is a region labeled Message to All Recipients. In that section the Email Subject will automatically be called "Please DocuSign: FileName.pdf'. Please leave all this text intact. You have the option to add text after the file name, up to the character limit. The automatically generated file name has important information used by Human Resources. Please do not alter the file name in any way.
9. Review Signature Placements (Optional) – Once you have identified each required signer, you have the option of reviewing the placement of the signatures on the document. To do this, click the blue NEXT button at the bottom right side of the page. Typically, these do not need to be adjusted as they have been placed there via the template. If you add additional signers, you may need to add a signature field and date field to the PAF. When doing so, please be sure to place these in a logical spot on PDF form.
10. Send the Envelope – If you chose to review the signature placements, the last step is to click the blue SEND button at the bottom right side of the page. If you did not review the signature placements, instead of clicking the NEXT button in the previous step, you would instead click the SEND NOW button at the bottom right of the workflow assignment page.

For assistance with completing a DocuSign envelope using a template, please contact Sheri Jernigan at 850.474.2884 or Lori Werdann at 850.474.2205.

Benefits Dates – Mark Your Calendar for Open Enrollment and the Benefits Fair

The Human Resources Benefits Team is planning for this year’s Open Enrollment for the 2027 plan year. The window for making changes to State of Florida insurance plans begins October 12, 2026 and ends October 30, 2026. 

The annual employee Benefits Fair will be held on Monday, September 28, 2026. Make plans to join us in the Commons Conference Center between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Leaders in each department may wish to explore options for office coverage that would allow all employees to attend this important event. Other information pertaining to the 2027 plan year will be published once it is available. 

If you have any questions, please contact April Harvey at 850.972.9005 or Elsie Rivera at 850.474.2921.

HR Required Vetting of All Departmental Faculty and Staff Professional Development

This is a friendly reminder that Human Resources has a required professional development vetting process which supports departments making efforts to offer training to the campus community. This review ensures that professional development offerings align with institutional goals, comply with applicable policies, and provide high-quality learning opportunities for employees. Departments are encouraged to engage Human Resources early in the planning process to support timely approval and successful implementation of professional development initiatives.

If you or a representative from your department would like to develop and deliver a professional development course for your area of expertise, please complete the Request for Professional Development Form, which is located on the Human Resources Forms webpage.

If you have any questions, please contact Jack Kolodziejski, Assistant Director of Employee Relations, at 850.474.2292.

Faculty Premium Deductions Resume in September

Nine-month faculty will notice that insurance premiums are not being deducted from pay in the month of August. Beginning with the September 4, 2026 paycheck, these deductions will resume. 



If you have any questions, please contact Elsie Rivera at 850.474.2921 or April Harvey at 850.972.9005.

EAP Resources for Living Webinars – Register for a webinar. 

• 8/6 @ 2pm How small changes can lead to big results
• 8/11 @ 2pm Emotional intelligence in relationships
• 8/20 @ 2pm Relationship values check-in
• 8/27 @ 2pm Supporting school-age children

Our Aetna Resources for Living EAP is available for you and your family. Explore the website for related resources. You will be glad you did! ('Company log in/Register' then Username= UWF, Password = UWF).

University of West Florida | hr@uwf.edu | 11000 University Parkway

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Phone: 850.474.2694 | Fax: 850.857.6030

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