Since 1999, Laws enabling the legal use of electronic signatures passed in several countries, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and other members of the EU. The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) passed in the United States in 2000. This federal law grants legal recognition to electronic signatures and records if all involved parties agree to use electronic documents and sign them electronically.
At UCSB, we comply with regulations and practices to ensure the legality, reliability, and security of every electronic signature created, captured, and stored in the conduct of our business activities. The benefits of electronically signed or acknowledged documents or internal workflow include paper reduction, business efficiency, and a reduced administrative workload and overhead on our students, faculty, and staff.
UCSB's Chief Information Officer and Associate Chancellor for Finance and Resource Management fully endorse the use of electronic signatures in both legally binding transactions and to acknowledge and sign off on internal management control processes, paper forms elimination, and business workflows. NOTE: This statement has been reviewed by the UC Santa Barbara Office of General Counsel.
Signed,
Chuck Haines, Associate Chancellor for Finance and Resource Management
Matthew Hall, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
Garry Mac Pherson, Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services