The Michigan State University Board of Trustees today unanimously approved updates to the discipline and dismissal of tenured faculty for cause policy. The changes outline a standard timeline for handling discipline of tenured faculty and build in more transparency, clarity and consistency for violations of university policy.

“This work is a culmination of months of collaboration across faculty, administration and the Board,” said President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. “Today’s action by the Board further strengthens our policies and provides more consistency in our disciplinary processes across employee groups.”

In April 2021, and as part of the university’s relationship violence and sexual misconduct (RVSM) strategic plan, MSU empaneled the Discipline Process and Sanction Review Task Force and charged it with reviewing the institution’s discipline process and sanction structure to ensure clarity, appropriateness, consistency and timely implementation of sanctions for violations of the RVSM Policy. The task force identified timeliness of the disciplinary process as a key barrier to ensuring a safe and respectful working and learning environment. To remove that barrier, it recommended streamlining the dismissal process to a 120-day timeline while ensuring due process. It also recommended the creation of a trained standing faculty hearing panel for certain phases of the dismissal process to improve timeliness and the consistency of the process.

In addition to these updates, the policy now also enables greater transparency by permitting the sharing of information regarding the discipline and dismissal of a faculty member when necessary and permitted by law.

“The revision to our discipline and dismissal of tenured faculty for cause policy, crafted by a broad group of campus leaders, charts a path toward a more equitable discipline process for all at MSU,” said Provost Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. “Institutional courage and culture are created step by step, decision by decision, policy by policy. I am incredibly grateful for the task force, shared governance committees and the Faculty Senate, the administration and our Board of Trustees.”

These changes were unanimously supported by the university’s Faculty Senate and shared governance committees.

During Friday’s meeting, the Board also received a research presentation from associate professor Jason Rowntree. Rowntree shared his work on helping farmers and ranchers improve soil management to become more sustainable and increase crop yields.

The Board also took several actions during its February meeting, including:

• Authorization for the university to negotiate and secure a long-term lease for space in Flint, Michigan. The action comes following the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation’s $25 million grant to the university and is in support of expanded space for researchers as part of the grant funding.
• Authorization to plan for a new animal research clinical center, allowing the university to expand its animal imaging capabilities for large species. The center will be supported by a $6.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
• Authorization to proceed with additions and renovations to the university’s School of Packaging building. The improvements are estimated to cost $10.9 million and are funded by gifts to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and School of Packaging, a general fund Capital Renewal, Facility Research and Barrier-Free Access funds. The project will start in February and take one year to complete.
• Approval of Kendra Spence Cheruvelil as dean of Lyman Briggs College and Eric Scorsone as secretary and chief of staff to the MSU Board of Trustees.

The Board’s next regularly scheduled meeting is April 22.