Fixed Term Faculty

While fixed-term faculty positions are not associated with mandatory reviews, faculty are eligible for promotion in recognition of their contributions to the unit, the college, the university, and the broader community. Promotions include instructor to senior instructor, assistant professor to associate professor, and associate professor to professor. Below you will find information and helpful resources to guide both faculty and supervisors through the promotion review process.

• Due date
  Dossiers are due to NatSci.RPT@msu.edu by March 1
  • NatSci chairs/directors are required to share their promotion review letters with the faculty applicant by March 1.
  • Faculty have 5 business days after March 1 to send to NatSci.RPT@msu.edu a confidential response to the chair's letter with clarifications, corrections and/or updates, if they wish to do so.
• Criteria and standards
  The College applies institutional criteria and standards for the review and recommendation of promotion for fixed-term faculty. Disciplinary norms and candidates’ roles and responsibilities are also considered when evaluating the merits of a case.
  • Promotion of Fixed-Term Faculty (MSU Faculty Handbook)
  • Provost Memorandum (Posted when available)
• Guidelines & policies
  • NatSci Fixed-term Promotion Guidelines (COMING SOON) –resource to understand the review process and criteria/standards applied to make recommendations for promotion.
  • NatSci Teaching Evaluation Guidelines
  • FASA Fixed-term Faculty Resources—Links to resources from the MSU Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs, including Guidelines for Best Practices for Promotion.
• Timeline
  • NatSci Timeline (COMING SOON)
• Forms, templates & checklists
  Below are forms and other resources to guide faculty candidates and their supervisors through the RPT process in the College.
  • Nat Sci dossier assembly checklist (COMING SOON) – How to assemble the promotion dossier (sections filled out by the chair/director or faculty are color-coded and include summaries and links to relevant information and policies)
  • Form of Progress and Excellence for Fixed-Term Faculty (new form developed in 2025) (DOC)
  • Bookmarks for Promotion Packets (PDF)
  • NatSci-specific forms:
    • Student evaluation summaries – SIRS and SPLS tables (See information about SPLS questions)
    • Funded grants table
    • RPT Teaching Portfolio Assessment Tool
  • Templates for Chair’s letter (COMING SOON) 
• Tips and other resources
  • Thriving as a Fixed-term Faculty Member at Michigan State University—Resources from the Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development