II. ORGANIZATION (Cont.)
THE FACULTY
The faculty of the University is defined in the Bylaws of Academic Governance as follows:
The "regular faculty" of Michigan State University shall consist of all persons appointed under the rules of tenure and holding the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor, and persons appointed as librarians. In addition, the principal administrative officer of each major educational and research unit of the University shall be a member of the "regular faculty".
The "fixed term faculty" of Michigan State University shall consist of all persons holding the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor, but not appointed under the rules of tenure.
The faculty of the University is organized into units -- most commonly departments but also schools, institutes, etc. Each department and unit is attached organizationally to at least one college; however, organizational attachment of units to two or more colleges is very common at MSU. The faculty of each college and unit has jurisdiction over its own internal academic affairs within University policy. Each college has an elective Advisory Council and each unit has an advisory committee. "Regular" faculty members holding appointments with the academic rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor constitute the voting faculty on internal matters in both the college and the department, and voting rights may be extended by unit bylaws to include temporary faculty, honorary faculty, specialists, lecturers, research associates, assistant instructors or adjunct faculty. Non-college faculty also participate in the governance system with a similar set of rights and responsibilities.
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