As a community-based medical school, we depend on the generosity of over 5,000 faculty physicians who donate their time, medical expertise and clinical acumen to benefit our students and residents throughout the state of Michigan.
Prefix Faculty
CHM Resources for Prefix Faculty Promotion
Non-Prefix Faculty
CHM Resources for Non-Prefix Faculty Promotion
If you are not an MSU employee but are interested in a faculty appointment with the MSU College of Human Medicine, you should contact the appropriate person in the Community Assistant Dean's Office in your respective community campus:
Individuals not employed by Michigan State University who are interested in providing their service to advance the educational, research and/or service missions of the College of Human Medicine are invited to apply for an appointment in the clinical/adjunct faculty appointment system. Clinical and adjunct appointments in the College of Human Medicine are generally for three years and may be renewed upon application to the college.
There are two categories of appointment that are used by the College of Human Medicine for individuals appointed in the clinical/adjunct appointment system: prefix and non-prefix categories.
Individuals not employed by Michigan State University are typically appointed in this category. The prefix "clinical" or "adjunct" precedes the rank, e.g., clinical assistant professor, adjunct assistant professor, etc. "Adjunct" precedes the rank unless the appointee holds a professional medical degree, in which case the "clinical" prefix is used. Reappointment and promotion are at the discretion of the department and college. Faculty granted clinical/adjunct appointments must have the educational background and experience required for the assigned rank and must be willing to provide some degree of service to the department or the college even though they are not employed by MSU.
The university also recognizes that the college relies on clinician faculty in the various communities in which our students learn to fill important administrative roles, or to teach medical students and residents (e.g., Clerkship Director, Residency Director, Core Teaching Faculty). Given the significant time commitment required of these faculty, though not directly employed by MSU, they are generally compensated by MSU through contracts between MSU and their employers. Recognizing their significant contributions to MSU and college missions, the university grants an exception to allow this group to apply for a "non-prefix" rank (e.g., assistant professor, associate professor or professor) as long as they meet at least one of the eligibility criteria (see below) in addition to a minimum time commitment of 20% effort. If granted a non-prefix appointment, these faculty then have the same expectations as MSU-employed faculty in the Health Programs (HP) faculty appointment system; these expectations include commitment to not only clinical and patient care, but also to teaching, research and service missions of the college. Faculty in the non-prefix category are also expected to work toward academic promotion which requires meeting promotion criteria comparable in rigor to their MSU-employed colleagues in the HP system.
Eligibility criteria for non-prefix appointment (must meet one of the following):
In addition to the minimum eligibility criteria stated above, the following MUST be considered for appointment, reappointment or promotion of faculty with a non-prefix rank:
Human Resources Procedures
HR/Payroll-4 Appointment Process: Community-Based Prefix/Non-prefix Faculty
HR/Payroll-6 Reappointment: Community-Based Faculty