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Administrative Records All Departments - All Campuses

Records Retention Guide

The "year of record" for administrative files is normally calendar year or fiscal year. If any other time period, such as academic year, is used, the records must be retained until that year is completed before taking the appropriate disposition steps.

Description of Record Year of Record Dept. Action Required Auth #    
Activity Consent / Liability Waivers and Release Forms (Adults) 2011 & Prior Destroy 00-013
Activity Consent / Liability Waivers and Release Forms (Minors)   Retain twenty-three (23) years after created, then destroy. 00-013
Affirmative Action/EEO Records   Retain until superseded, then transfer to Campus Archives. 00-013
Appointment Calendars 2014 & Prior Destroy 00-013
Association/Organization Records[1] 2014 & Prior Destroy 00-013
Awards, Honors, Fellowships, Scholarship Files (Students, Faculty, Staff) 2011 & Prior Transfer to Campus Archives. (Microfilm option) 00-013
Building Coordinator Files   Retain until superseded or no longer of administrative value, then destroy. 00-013
Committees
Ad Hoc Committee Files (Official files of boards, task forces, search committees, etc., appointed for a specific purpose and the committee disbands when the task is completed. Files normally kept by chairperson or committee secretary)   Retain until work of committee has been completed and disbanded, then transfer to Campus Archives. 00-013
Committee Member Files (Informational copies kept by standing committee and ad hoc committee members)   Retain until member no longer on committee, then destroy. 00-013
Standing Committee Files (Official files of all committees that function on a continuing basis. Files normally kept by Chairperson or committee Secretary) 2013 & Prior Transfer to Campus Archives. 00-013
Conference and Non-Credit Course Program Files

10/11 & Prior

Destroy 00-019
Conference Credit Course Program Files

10/11 & Prior

Destroy 00-019
Conflicts of Interest
Grants   Retain for three (3) fiscal years after final payment, then transfer to Campus Archives. 00-010
Non-grants   Retain for three (3) fiscal years after termination of the conflict, then transfer to Campus Archives. 00-010
Departmental Surveys 2013 & Prior Destroy 00-013
Directives, Policy and Procedure Records
Informational Copies   Retain until superseded, then destroy. 00-013
Official Record (Original)   Retain until superseded, then transfer to Campus Archives. 00-013
Equipment Maintenance Records   Retain for one (1) year after disposition of equipment, then destroy. 00-013
Foundation Records   Retain until no longer of administrative value, then transfer to Campus Archives. 00-013
General Administrative Files
Correspondence sent or received in the transaction of University business 2011 & Prior Transfer to Campus Archives. 00-013
Subject files that document the department's role in University affairs. 2011 & Prior Transfer to Campus Archives. 00-013
Personnel [2]
 Personnel Records
To see a list of personnel records permitted in departmental personnel files, see Records Retention Authorization 00-016, item #2, here - for disposition of employee records, see instructions for terminated or transferred employee files.
00-016
Prohibited Personnel Records
Many personnel related records are confidential in nature and are not to be retained within the departments. The list of prohibited records is too long to list here. See Records Retention Authorization 00-016, item #3, here for list of prohibited records and instructions on disposition of those records.
00-016
Application for Employment: (Rejected Faculty Positions - originals and copies) 2013 & Prior Destroy 77-104
Application for Employment: (Rejected Staff positions - copies) All years DESTROY -- Not to be retained at department level. 77-104
Application for Employment: (Rejected Staff positions - originals) All years Not to be retained by departments. Transfer to appropriate Human Resource Office. 77-104
EEO/Affirmative Action Records   Retain until superseded, then transfer to Campus Archives. 00-013
Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9) and support documents (originals) All years Transfer to appropriate Human Resource Office. 00-016
Terminated Employee Files (Faculty) 2015 & Prior Transfer to Campus Archives. 00-016
Terminated Employee Files (Staff)[2] 2015 & Prior DESTROY - Except all originals of disciplinary materials and performance appraisals to be transferred to Campus Human Resource Office. 00-016
Transferred Employees (Staff) All years Forward to new department. 00-016
Photos and Slides 2011 & Prior Transfer to Campus Archives. 00-013
Publications   Send one copy to Campus Archives at time of publication. Retain balance until no longer of administrative value, then destroy 00-013
Publicity Release Records   Retain for five (5) years after last use, then destroy. 00-013
Reference Materials, External   Retain until no longer of reference value, then destroy. 00-013
Reports/Project Records - Ad Hoc 2011 & Prior Transfer to Campus Archives. 00-013
Reprint Permission for Copyrighted Materials   Retain for five (5) years after material was reprinted, then destroy. 00-013
Statistical Data Records 2013 & Prior Destroy 00-013
Strategic Plan Records   Retain until superseded, then transfer to Campus Archives. 00-013
Vehicle Records   Retain for five (5) years after vehicle is traded or sold, then destroy. 00-013
[1] See Authorization 00-013-13 for exception to 2 year retention.
[2] UMC departments contact Human Resources for guidance on handling student employee files.

Reviewed 2019-08-05