An OSPO can take many shapes, and the Network is deliberately a big tent. What matters is that there’s a recognized home for open source work at your institution and a person accountable for it.
What an OSPO looks like in UC¶
The Network doesn’t prescribe a single model. An OSPO might be one coordinator, a library-hosted effort, a faculty-led group, or a fully staffed office—all of these count. Two principles shape how Member Organizations work together:
High autonomy: you decide how your OSPO is structured, staffed, and run. The Network coordinates and shares; it doesn’t dictate your organization’s internal operations.
Peers, not hierarchy: within the Network, every Member Organization participates as a peer, regardless of how large their institutions are.
What declaring yourself an OSPO commits you to¶
Joining the Network as a Member Organization comes with a few concrete commitments:
An executive Sponsor:
Joining the Network requires the written approval of a Sponsor.
Sponsors champion the vitality, viability and long-term sustainability of the Network at their Member Organization and across the UC system. Ideally, they also identify opportunities for increased coherence within the Member Organization, building connections with entities whose mission overlaps with that of the UC OSPO Network.
The acceptance of a Member Organization into the Network is ultimately a bilateral agreement between the Stewardship Group and the Sponsor. Member Organizations can also withdraw from the Network—this is a unilateral action that rests with the Sponsor.
Sponsors should be leaders with division-wide executive authority and final oversight of institutional budgets and strategic operations. For university campuses, they should either be, or report directly to, the Chancellor, Executive Vice Chancellor, Provost, or a Vice Chancellor. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Participation in at least one Working Group: every Member Organization commits to taking part in at least one of the Network’s Working Groups.
A delegate to the Stewardship Group: each Member Organization names one delegate to take part in the Network’s stewardship and decision-making (a back-up delegate is allowed).
How you meet these is up to you—the autonomy principle applies here too.
Who to talk to first¶
Beyond your Sponsor, the earliest conversations are usually with the people whose work already touches open source: research computing, the library, and any faculty or staff already championing it. Connecting with local stakeholders goes into each of these.