Required Administrative Actions

The administrative actions listed below should be completed before a Category 2 or 3 Academic Visitor arrives on the University of Pittsburgh campus but after steps 1 through 3 of the Visitor process have been completed.

Required Administrative Actions for Category 2 and 3 Visitors

Appointment Form

The host department administrator is required to complete an appointment form for all Category 2 and 3 Academic Visitors. Appointment forms can be found on my.pitt.edu in the University Business Forms section of the site. Note that only certain sections of the form should be completed (and that currently, Visitor appointments are not entered by department administrators into PittWorx). Instructions for completing the appointment form are located on the Administrative Guidance and Training page on this website. Once completed, the appointment form should be sent electronically via your dean’s office to the Visitor Liaison.

Upon receipt of the Visitor appointment form, the Visitor Liaison will enter the Visitor’s information into PittWorx. An employee record will be generated after the Visitor's information appears in the University's Central Directory Service (CDS). All subsequent changes to the Visitor's CDS record, including final termination, must be requested electronically via PittWorx. The requested changes will then be routed via the school dean’s office for approval and then to the Visitor Liaison for final approval. All entries into PittWorx will be noted in the Visitor’s MyEC record.

Sponsored Email Account

The host department administrator must ensure that Category 2 and 3 Academic Visitors possess a sponsored e-mail account. The account permits access to certain mandatory training systems, such as the University’s Title IX training, and satisfies OIS requirements for University-sponsored J-1 visa holders. Sponsored email accounts also allow for single sign-on capabilities within the University’s computing environment. These accounts are for temporary use only and must be created by the RC administrator assigned to the host department or school.

Specific information about establishing a sponsored account, including contact information for all RC Administrators, is located on the Pitt IT website. In order to avoid duplicate records in the University system, the host department administrator should verify that the Visitor’s information appears in the University’s Central Directory Service before authorizing the RC administrator to establish the sponsored email account. Sponsored email accounts should be promptly terminated at the end of each visit for security and compliance purposes.

Title IX Training

Category 2 and 3 Academic Visitors are required to complete the University of Pittsburgh’s Title IX Training: Preventing Harassment and Discrimination. Additional information on Title IX Training is located at the University's Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The host department and host faculty member(s) must ensure that the Visitor completes this training before the visit begins.

Two administrative actions must be completed before a Visitor can access the Title IX training. First, an appointment form for the Visitor must be prepared and entered into PittWorx. Second, the Visitor must possess a sponsored e-mail account. Please note that Visitor sponsored email accounts are now mandatory because the Visitor will use his or her University of Pittsburgh sponsored account information to access the Title IX training system.

Information Security Training

Category 2 and 3 Academic Visitors are required to take the Security Awareness Foundations training course, which is designed to create a University-wide baseline of information-security knowledge. The course is available on the Pitt IT Information Security Training website and covers a range of information-security topics, including how to identify social engineering and phishing attacks, password strength, social media use, safe web browsing, and what to do if one suspects a data breach. The host department or host faculty member(s) must ensure that the Visitor completes this training before the visit begins.

Two administrative actions must be completed before a Visitor can access the Security Awareness Foundations training course. First, an appointment form for the Visitor must be prepared and entered into PittWorx. Second, the Visitor must possess a sponsored e-mail account. Please note that Visitor sponsored email accounts are now mandatory because the Visitor will use his or her University of Pittsburgh sponsored account information to access the training course.

University ID Card
Category 2 and 3 Academic Visitors are eligible to receive a University Visitor ID card after the completed appointment form has been entered into PittWorx and the information appears in the University’s Central Directory Service (CDS). Once the Visitor arrives on campus, the host department or host faculty member(s) should instruct the Visitor to visit a Panther Central ID center to obtain his or her ID (but only after the host department or host faculty member verifies that the Visitor’s information appears in the University’s CDS).

The University Visitor ID grants broad access to most fitness facilities, University libraries, the Pitt shuttle bus system, and other University buildings that allow for common access. However, a University Visitor ID does not provide access to Pittsburgh Regional Transit (formerly Port Authority) bus, incline, or other services. The department or school will need to follow its internal procedures for granting additional levels of access if it wishes to provide the Visitor access to particular laboratories, clinical space, or key-card facilities.

University Covid-19 Vaccine Requirements
Effective December 6, 2021, the University of Pittsburgh requires that all University affiliates on all campuses be vaccinated against Covid-19 or have an approved exemption. This requirement also applies to all Category 2 and 3 Academic Visitors. To be fully vaccinated, an individual must have completed a primary Covid-19 series of vaccine doses as authorized or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or World Health Organization (WHO). Each University affiliate must comply with the appropriate change if added vaccine doses are later designated a part of any vaccine sequence by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), FDA, or WHO. Additional information on the University’s vaccine requirements, instructions for acquiring an exemption, and directions for providing proof of vaccination are located on the Power of Pitt’s Covid-19 Vaccine webpage. The host department or host faculty member(s) must ensure that these conditions are satisfied.
Health Insurance Requirements

All Category 2 and 3 Visitors are required to maintain health insurance coverage while at the University of Pittsburgh. Visitors who currently do not have health insurance must enroll in a health insurance plan. Typically, the Visitor is responsible for paying the cost of the insurance plan and will be billed directly by the plan provider.

Since UPMC Health Plan is the primary health provider in the University of Pittsburgh area and the Pittsburgh region, the Visitor should ensure that his or her current health insurance, or whichever health insurance the individual selects, affords access to UPMC facilities or other facilities accessible from the University of Pittsburgh campus.

Both domestic and international Visitors must provide proof of health insurance to the host department prior to arrival at the University of Pittsburgh (but see below for international Visitors on a J-1 Scholar visa). For Visitors who do not have medical insurance, the following websites contain information about different plans that can be purchased.

J-1 Scholar International Visitors

International Visitors holding a J-1 Scholar visa and their dependents are required by the U.S. Department of State to have health insurance that satisfies federally mandated J-1 Scholar visa insurance requirements. These individuals must provide proof of health insurance through the Office of International Services (OIS) within 30 days of the start date indicated on their immigration documents. OIS provides additional information on J-1 Scholar visa holders’ health insurance requirements.

UPMC health plans meeting J-1 Scholar visa standards require an additional policy through a company called Assist America for repatriation and medical evacuation coverage. UPMC has a healthcare concierge available to assist Visitors with determining eligible UPMC health plans and with obtaining repatriation and medical evacuation coverage through Assist America.