Designated Academic Colleague (DAC)

Privileges include the following.

• UNI
• Email
• ID Card ($20 fee)
• Morningside Campus Gates, Lerner, Morningside, Manhattanville, and Medical Center* Academic Buildings (specific rooms within academic buildings must be requested by the department)
• Library access and library borrowing privileges
• Rascal
• VPN

_{* CUIMC DACs only}

• Research colleagues who are currently full-time elsewhere, and who need occasional access to CU buildings or access to CU datasets, Rascal or other resources as part of an existing research relationship with Columbia colleagues [on campus]. DACs may or may not be part of a subaward from Columbia. DACs could include:
  • former CU Ph.D. students, postdocs and ARSs completing CU-based research;
  • external research partners who are affiliated with Columbia centers, institutes, schools, departments and others;
  • other research partners with full-time appointments outside Columbia.
• New faculty and officers of research transitioning to CU and need access to CU systems (e.g., apply for new grants or move grants to CU from former institution, apply for housing) before they are fully on-boarded
• Global Center employees not under Professional Employment Organization (PEO) agreement
• Staff associates affiliated with special high school programs
• Religious Advisors
• High school teachers and local educators needing on-campus access for legitimate reasons
• Industry affiliates who are colleagues with CU academic personnel and require intermittent access to Columbia space/facilities
• Retirees from other institutions and artists or scholars who are self-employed, but need to come onto campus or need access to CU-based datasets to conduct research with CU personnel

• No. Visiting Scholars/Scientists* and VSIs are physically present on campus for a sustained duration of time (from a semester to up to two years), conducting independent research or, in the case of VSIs, receiving educational training.
• Formal collaborators who would like to collaborate on Columbia research for a sustained period of time, from a semester to no more than one year, need to be appointed as a Visiting Officer of Research. These are compensable appointments that must meet FLSA minimum.

_{*The Visiting Scholars/Scientists role is not applicable to CUIMC}

• The designation lasts for between a semester and a year. However, actual visits to campus are generally intermittent and occasional, and are not expected to be sustained for a full term or academic year. For more formal visitor appointments and designations, see https://provost.columbia.edu/content/visitors.
• There is the possibility for renewal of the designation. All requests for renewal must include a rationale for the extension and be re-submitted for consideration via the DAC application or via the JIRA platform at CUIMC. 

• DACs are not CU employees and may not receive remuneration or benefits afforded to employees of CU. This includes additional compensation.
• If a DAC is employed by a Columbia subawardee, they may be compensated via the subaward, as in the ordinary course. However, the DAC would not be a Columbia employee. For more questions on compensation through subawards and grants, please contact William Berger ([email protected]) in Sponsored Projects Administration.
• DACs may receive reimbursements for travel and accommodation costs. These reimbursements must be covered by non-sponsored funds unless specifically authorized in the sponsored project budget and requests for reimbursement and must be submitted via Concur (https://us2.concursolutions.com). For DAC foreign nationals, a helpful link is Allowable Payments by Visa Type | Columbia Finance.
• Please note that Columbia will not sponsor visas for DACs. See below for more information about visa sponsorship.

• Standard research engagements typically will not require DAC privileges. If a colleague who is employed full time elsewhere and on a subaward, or another inter-institutional agreement, but does not need building access or access to other material or data under UNI control, there is no need for the DAC status.
• However, individuals that do receive DAC privileges may likely need an appropriate inter-institutional agreement depending on the circumstances.
• If you have questions about what may be required for these scenarios, please check with William Berger ([email protected])

• Under limited circumstances, the Columbia IRB may provide coverage for a DAC under our Federalwide Assurance (FWA) if the individual meets all regulatory and institutional requirements including eligibility, training and FCOI.

  Examples of situations in which a DAC may be covered by the Columbia IRB include faculty completing CU research projects while transitioning to another institution and former Ph.D. students/postdocs completing CU research.  Activities for completion include analyzing data, writing manuscripts and preparing data for archiving. The DAC should be identified as such in the Personnel section of the Columbia IRB application, with an estimated end date for the DAC status.

  In such cases, the IRB would require consultation with the DAC’s new home institution, which must confirm in writing that the individual’s involvement does not constitute institutional engagement in the research and IRB oversight at that institution is not required. Additional agreements with the individual or the DAC’s home institution will also be required. Please contact the IRB at [email protected] to confirm eligibility and requirements.

• No, Columbia cannot sponsor visas for individuals holding DAC status.
• A foreign national with a visa that is sponsored by another institution must obtain immigration guidance from their visa sponsor regarding the proposed DAC activities prior to the visit. 

• While the DAC designation covers a variety of possible activities at Columbia University, federal regulations strictly limit what professional activities are possible in visitor visa status.
• The B-1 visa or Visa Waiver for Business (W-B) may be possible in certain situations where the proposed DAC activities meet USCIS criteria for business visitors, which include:
  • Engaging with professional colleagues
  • Traveling for a scientific, educational, professional conference
  • Negotiating a contract
  • Participating in short-term training
• DAC visitors in B-1/W-B visa status must not perform what would normally be compensable work and must have their own financial resources, including health insurance.
• The B-2 visa classification is for foreign nationals coming to the U.S. for tourism or to seek medical treatment and is not appropriate for DAC activities.

• No, “contractor” should no longer be used for this purpose.
• Those who have been relying on “contractor,” to secure certain privileges for campus visitors need to follow either the visitors protocol (https://provost.columbia.edu/content/visitors) or request a DAC designation.

• Engagements with a former faculty member’s new institution may require an appropriate inter-institutional agreement; for example, a subaward, DUA/MTA, MOU, or others. Please reach out to William Berger ([email protected]) to determine whether such an inter-institutional agreement is needed.
• Principal investigators seeking to retire who would like to complete a pre-existing Columbia-based grant  may, with the appropriate institutional approvals including a PI waiver, be appointed as Special Research Scientist/Scholar until the first renewal of the grant or contract after retirement. Following the first renewal after retirement, the retiree needs to identify a new PI for the grant, or consult further with Sponsored Projects Administration on other potential options. 

• There are some exceptions that will be allowed to continue. At CUMC, please consult Dionida X. Ryce, Assistant Vice President for Academic Appointments ([email protected]) and on the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses, contact Zeid Sitnica, Associate Provost for Academic Appointments at [email protected].

• Short-Term Visitors may include high school students, post-baccalaureates, and other observers (who observe, but do not practice, research or clinical techniques or processes) or trainees (who receive training in research or clinical techniques or processes, including practice with appropriate supervision)
• They may not provide services that would otherwise be compensated work. 

Somewhat similar, but see the specific parameters described above.

At CUMC, please consult Dionida X. Ryce, Assistant Vice President for Academic Appointments ([email protected]) and on the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses, contact Zeid Sitnica, Associate Provost for Academic Appointments at [email protected].

Generally, no. A DAC may serve as a PI/Co-PI or co-investigator under their primary (home) organization, where they hold an appropriate appointment, with the collaboration with Columbia occurring through an appropriate inter-institutional agreement (e.g., subaward/consortium agreement or other sponsored research agreement), as applicable.

School, department, institute, center representatives may submit an application using the DAC App for the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses and through JIRA for the CUIMC campus. 
 

1. Morningside and Manhattanville full-time faculty or professional officers of research who wish to sponsor a DAC notify their department of their intent to designate one.
2. The department representative who has access to the DAC App submits a DAC request.
   • Department representatives may request access via the DAC User Application form.
3. Dean's Office representative reviews and approves the request.
4. The request is routed to the Provost's Academic Appointments Office for final review and approval.
5. After final approval is granted, department representative should email the DAC Disclaimer Template Letter to the DAC.
6. On the date the DAC is expected to start, the DAC App will automatically grant limited privileges (UNI, email, ID card, building access, library access, VPN, and access to Rascal)
   • Department representatives should not use delegated DIA "Contractor" role to secure certain privileges for campus visitors.

The DAC workflow at CUIMC can be found on the Office of Faculty Affairs’ Transaction Manual. 

Note: Faculty on the CUIMC campus should contact Dionida X. Ryce, Assistant Vice President for Academic Appointments ([email protected]) for more information.

• You can apply for access using our DAC Application Form.
• At CUIMC, JIRA access for new users may be requested by authorized department managers by emailing Dan Shin at [email protected].