The College of Arts & Letters values the consistent presence of faculty on campus. Faculty presence is integral to the student experience and expands the potential for faculty partnerships and collaborations. It provides opportunities for faculty to engage in the collegial and scholarly life of the department, center, and/or program and other related campus communities at MSU. Long term absences or inconsistent presence on campus can have undue impact on the employee and often cause an additional burden of service to those present on campus.
The College embraces and strategically supports virtual instruction that contributes to student success goals or is part of our portfolio of online programs. Virtual instruction for student success may include unique pedagogical and experiential opportunities and strategies intentionally adopted to increase flexibility and accessibility of course offerings. These opportunities are strategically determined in advance and approved by the chair or director in consultation with the dean. At the same time, campus culture is vibrant, and it is imperative for College faculty to engage fully at all levels of the MSU community.
To facilitate consistent faculty presence, faculty and academic staff should maintain permanent residences within a commutable distance of the East Lansing campus of MSU. The MSU Remote Work Outside of Michigan Policy prohibits the hiring of employees who maintain a permanent residence outside of the State of Michigan unless there is a “university related business reason.” Such cases must be approved by the Department Chair or Center Director and the College Dean. This does not pertain to temporary leaves of absence (e.g., sabbaticals, research leave, FMLA).
For more information, see https://hr.msu.edu/remote_work/rwa_directions.html
12/1/23, revised 2/4/24