HR/Payroll-6 Reappointment: Community-Based Faculty

Effective Date: January 1, 2011
Last Revised: February 24, 2022
Responsible Party: Toya Pruitt
Persons Affected: Student Program Administrators/Community-Based Faculty/Dean’s Office HR Staff

I. Policy/Purpose

Community-based faculty are generally appointed to MSU for three-year terms.   The majority of these appointments are adjunct or clinical, also known as “prefix”.   Due to the large number of these appointments, MSU Academic Human Resources uses the Mass Update Process to make common changes to these appointments.  Changes that can occur using the Mass Update Process include:  reappointment to an additional term for faculty who are still actively involved with CHM and express their intent to remain actively involved; promotion to a different adjunct or clinical rank consistent with rank requirements; termination from active status for those no longer actively involved with CHM or CHM-affiliated or sponsored residencies.  Although the university’s process begins in April of each year, the CHM Human Resources Office and the communities begin preparations in early winter in order to collect the information that will be necessary for the Mass Update Process. 

The CHM Human Resources Office provides to each Student Program Administrator’s office a list of their adjunct/clinical or non-prefix faculty whose appointments will end in the current year (usually June 30).  Faculty who are to be reappointed for an additional term must complete a short Renewal Application in order to verify their current demographic information, to indicate their desire and willingness to continue as community-based faculty at MSU/CHM, and to update their experiences or curriculum vitae.  Hard copies of the renewal application will be provided and will also be available on the CHM Faculty Affairs website. Student Program Administrators facilitate and forward the renewal applications to the CHM Human Resources Office prior to the University’s Mass Update Process.  

NOTE:  The Mass Update Process cannot be used to appoint new faculty, to change a faculty member’s department or to drop the “adjunct” or “clinical” prefix and award a non-prefix appointment.

II. Definitions

  1. Mass Update Process: The university’s method for processing selected changes to the appointments of the large number of community-based faculty.
  2. Prefix appointment: A faculty appointment in the Clinical/Adjunct Appointment System awarded to an individual who is not a regular paid employee of Michigan State University but who teaches or provides other academic services to Michigan State University students. Individuals with professional medical degrees are designated with the prefix “clinical” in front of their assigned rank; others are designated with the prefix “adjunct” in front of the rank (e.g., Clinical Associate Professor).
  3. Non-prefix appointment: A faculty appointment within the Clinical/Adjunct System (not employed directly by MSU) but without the “adjunct” or “clinical” prefix, e.g., Assistant Professor vs. Clinical Assistant Professor. These may be granted to a limited number of non-employed faculty who meet strict eligibility criteria that generally include devoting a significant portion of their professional time (at least 20%) to teaching CHM students or residents in CHM-sponsored or CHM-affiliated residencies. 
  4. Mass Update Report: A report of all community-based faculty provided by the CHM Human Resources Office to assist Student Program Administrators in obtaining renewal applications for reappointment and for processing promotions and terminations.
  5. University Mass Update Forms: Official forms provided by central Human Resources Office that allows the college to reappoint, promote or terminate community-based faculty appointments annually.

III. Procedures

  1. The CHM Human Resources Office sends each Student Program Administrator a list of their community’s faculty whose appointments expire in the current year.   Renewal applications are not required for instructor/residents and instructor/fellows unless they are being promoted, at which point an updated CV would also be required. However, no promotions are allowed during Mass Update for faculty currently ranked Clinical Assistant Professor or above. Renewal applications are also not required for those community-based faculty whose primary appointment is not in the College of Human Medicine.  
  2. The Student Program Administrator (or designee) reviews the list to determine faculty who are actively involved, or expect to be involved, with CHM and are candidates for reappointment. This may involve working with the department or the residencies to make this determination.
  3. The Student Program Administrator (or designee) contacts each faculty member who should be considered for reappointment and asks them to complete the renewal application and instructs the faculty member to return the completed application to the Student Program Administrator.
  4. The community-based faculty member completes the renewal application and returns it, along with an updated CV (optional), to the Student Program Administrator’s office. The Student Program Administrator or designee assists with and facilitates completion of the applications by the community-based faculty.
  5. The Student Program Administrator reviews all renewal applications for completeness, completes the Mass Update Report and forwards both to CHM Human Resources Office. Applications may be forwarded to HR as they are received and reviewed electronically.
      1. Send renewal applications and completed Mass Update report for Flint, Midland, Lansing, and Southeast Michigan to HR@campusad.msu.edu.
      2. Send renewal applications and completed Mass Update report for Grand Rapids, Traverse City and the Upper Peninsula to FacultyApptGR@msu.edu; CHM.FacultyAppointmentsTC@msu.edu; CHM.FacultyAppointm1@msu.edu.
  6. CHM Human Resources:
    1. Reviews the renewal applications as they are received and contacts the Student Program Administrator for any missing or incomplete information.
    2. Reviews Mass Update Report received from communities for completeness. Resolves any questions or concerns with Student Program Administrators.
    3. Completes the official university Mass Update forms for all departments using the information provided by the communities and the Faculty Affairs and Development Office and verifies that a renewal application has been received. Note that if a renewal application has not been received by CHM Human Resources, the faculty member’s name will not be put forward to the department or to Central Human Resources for reappointment and the Student Program Administrator will be notified.
    4. Sends completed university Mass Update forms to individual departments.
  7. Department:
    1. Reviews the completed university Mass Update forms, obtains approval signature from the chair of the department via the Department Chair Approval form and sends to CHM-HR@hc.msu.edu.
  8. CHM Human Resources:
    1. Sends completed university Mass Update forms to central Human Resources for processing.
    2. Updates addresses or other information changes in the CHM Information System and/or MSU HR/Payroll system.
    3. Completes and sends promotion letters and certificates to Student Program Administrators.
    4. Sends an updated list of community-based faculty to Student Program Administrators and CHM Departments.

REVISION HISTORY

1.0 - Effective date: 1/1/11 - Revised by T. Pruitt - Original 
1.1 - Effective date: 1/1/13 - Revised by T. Pruitt - New requirements: renewal application for non-prefix faculty; submission of Mass Update Report by CA; change to department role.
1.2 - Effective date: 2/1/14 - Revised by T. Pruitt - Non-prefix  renewal application change:  requested by FAD; change to CHM HR role: no longer providing pre-populated renewal applications; change to community administrator role:  new email address for renewal applications.
1.3 - Effective date: 12/1/16 - Revised by L. Bell - Added new community, Southeast Michigan; renewal app and CV required for all promotions.
1.4 - Effective date: 2/1/18 - Revised by L. Bell - Replaced contact names for each community with new staff names and added note for new promotion policy during Mass Update.
1.5 - Effective date: 4/2/18 - Revised by L. Bell - Changed contact information and process revisions. 
1.6 - Effective date: 2/4/19 - Revised by L. Bell - Updated contact information for GR, TC, and UP.
1.7 - Effective date: 1/27/2020 - Revised by L. Bell - Updated contact information emails for all communities.
1.8 - Effective date: 2/24/22 - Revised by B. Price - Replaced Community Administrator designation with Student Program Administrator.