Faculty Handbook

Our Mission Statement, as well as purposes and core values are published across our campus. You can find the source document within our 100 series policies, as Policy M100.7.

Other key elements of the structure for Mayville State University, including our relationship to the North Dakota University System (NDUS) Board and our role as a public institution within North Dakota are found in the 100 Policy Series.

Mayville State University adopted a new strategic plan in 2023.

Progress on the plan updated regularly, and these updates can be viewed by employees within the Strategic Planning Committee folder (SharePoint).

The Mayville State University Organizational Chart reflects the overall structure of departments reporting to the President's Cabinet members.

Mayville State University is governed by the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) and is one of 11 North Dakota University System institutions. The SBHE was established in 1938 by an initiated measure, adding Article 54 to the North Dakota Constitution. More information on the SBHE can be found within the NDUS Policy Series that established their Mission, Vision, and Values.

Mayville State University's Policy and Procedure Manual includes links to specific NDUS Policies as well as Policies and Procedures that align with NDUS policies but contain specifics unique to Mayville State as well as policies or procedures unique to Mayville State.

The Faculty Association and Faculty Senate play a key role in the governance structure for faculty at Mayville State University. The purpose of the Faculty Association is to provide agency for faculty in formulation of educational policy. The Faculty Senate Constitution provides the charge for the Mayville State University Curriculum Committee, Tenure, Promotion, and Awards Committee, the Faculty Senate, and other key governance roles. Please see the Faculty Association and Senate Constitution for more information.

The current Mayville State Academic Catalog is the primary source for information on academic programs, program requirements, course descriptions, student admission information, academic calendar, tuition and fees, etc.

It is worth noting that we currently maintain a separate "majors and minors page." This page is useful for scanning all of our programs. It is key to understand, however, that the catalog is the official source for program information. When looking for official program information, please be sure you are in the catalog.

The academic calendar is available in our catalog. Navigate to it via the catalog, as that specific part of the catalog is updated annually. (See the Catalog just above.)

We do have a Campus Calendar that reflects campus activities and events. This calendar is accessible via our website, but you can also download the "TeamUp" app from there for more convenient access to the campus calendar. Information for the app is at the bottom of the campus calendar web page.

To gain access to Blackboard (Bb), Mayville State's Learning Management system, you must have successfully claimed your NDUS User ID. Go to the NDUS helpdesk to begin this process.

In addition to having each of your courses in Bb, Bb houses other important information and training for all employees. Some of these resources (our syllabus template, for example) are identified within this section of the Handbook. There are employee training and annual trainings – many of which also will be in Bb as courses for you to complete.

While you will access Bb regularly for both your campus and online courses, as well as for important employee information, you should note that the "Institution Page" contains many contacts and links for our students to access different departments. You may, for example, find it useful to enroll in the Bb Ultra – Student Training course as a new faculty, to better understand how our students interact with their courses.

Mayville State expects the use of our approved syllabus template for all courses. You can access the current template through the Announcements section of the Black (Bb) Institution Page. To access, login to your Blackboard account. The Employee Knowledge Base is listed in the Announcements of the "Institution Page." (If you do not initially see it, click on "Institution Page" on the left side menu. You will then see the Announcements section. The current MaSU Approved Syllabus Template is located here.

In addition to the syllabus template, please note that the current Important Student Information document is also located in this same place. Reference to this is included in the Syllabus Template. The Important Student Information (ISI) document is an extension of the syllabus template and ensures key information is provided to all students. Faculty should review this document as well.

Our Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) houses instructional design, academic technology support, online student services and professional development. The CTL is an academic support center providing resources to support on-campus and online teaching and learning at MSU.

The CTL is located in the basement of the Byrnes-Quanbeck Library. For Academic Technology (including Bb) assistance, please contact our Specialist in this area: robert.davis.4@mayvillestate.edu or (701) 788-4645. For Instructional Design assistance please contact christine.gonnella@mayvillestate.edu or (701) 788-4709.
In addition to the CTL, many of the technologies we use are supported by our Information Technology Services Department (ITS). ITS is also housed in the basement of the Byrnes-Quanbeck Library. Instructional Technology serves as a useful resource for who to contact for support when it comes to Instructional and Information Technology services.

Through the CTL you can get individual assistance with Bb, assuring your online course design meets Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) requirements, Universal Design standards, video development, and proctoring. The CTL has many creative solutions for teaching and learning challenges for both in-person and online courses.

The CTL hosts many professional development activities throughout the academic year. They also support the Mayville Mini-Grant program – designed to encourage and support individual faculty and groups of faculty in ongoing improvement of quality teaching and learning.

Starfish is a web-based advising tool that improves the way we support student success at Mayville State University. Students, faculty, and staff can manually raise alerts or flags. Faculty can support and nurture students through kudos for performance improvements and to recognize outstanding contributions.

The Starfish platform is managed by our Student Success Coordinator. This office is in the Classroom Building, Room 109. (701) 788-4675. Our Student Success Coordinator also manages Student Disability Services.

The Academic Records Office serves the central role of managing academic class schedules, classroom scheduling, graduation audits, enrollment verification, grade reporting, and more. For many of these functions, the Division Chair for your academic unit, is the primary point of contact.

Faculty end of term grade reporting is done online. As the end of your class session approaches, please look for email reminders. These messages contain instructions on how to upload grades. Equally important are following through with instructions on reporting Students who fail to attend class at all or stop attending during the semester. In addition to email reminders, the instructions for this can be found in the Employee Knowledge base (found on the Bb Institutional Page).

The Academic Records Office is also responsible for Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) compliance at Mayville State University. This important Federal legislation serves to protect the privacy of our students. All University employees, including faculty, complete FERPA training on an annual basis.  However, if you have specific questions concerning student data and student privacy, please begin by contacting Academic Records.

Our Mayville State Mission dedicates us to excellence in teaching, service and scholarship through inclusive and supportive learning environments with an individual focus.

This is evidenced throughout this section of the faculty handbook – from Starfish and Student Support Services, to the CTL's support for faculty. These key elements and more tied to the standards of instruction at Mayville State are captured in our Policy on Faculty Responsibilities and Relationships, Policy M490. Please take the time to review this central policy to the faculty role at Mayville State.

The purpose of this section is to list Mayville State Policies that are central to Teaching and Learning. While Section I of this handbook includes our full Policy and Procedure Manual, this section highlights those specific to the Instructional Role of faculty.

• The Credit Unit (M441)
• Faculty Responsibilities and Relationships (M490)
• Final Exam Policy
• Communications Proficiency (M609)
• Online Course Ownership (M611.2)

Mayville State University follows the NDUS policies for records retention. Key ones for every faculty member are:

• 020408 - ADVISEMENT
• This record series contains information on students' academic files. This may include copies of high school and college transcripts, advisement meeting notes, master time table, dean's list information, and other things relating to the student's academic standing. (Retain While Active +5 Years)
• 020601 - GRADE BOOK (CLASS RECORD)
• This record series contains a record of grades, kept by the professor, received by each student in an academic course. This includes both electronic and paper varieties. (Retain After Current Fiscal Year +5 Years)
• 020410 - STUDENT COURSE WORK
• This record series contains records of the exams, homework, papers, and projects completed by students that the instructor does not return to the student after grading or review. This includes, but is not limited to, internship summaries, term papers, quizzes, tests, and minor projects. (Retain After Current Fiscal Year +1 Year)

• Appointments, Rank, and Tenure (M605.1.1)
• Faculty Mentor Program (MP605.1.1.B)
• Faculty Evaluations – Evaluation by Students (M605.1.3)
• Self-Evaluation/Supplementary Data Reports (M605.1.4)
• Evaluation by Division Chair (M605.1.4)

• Faculty/Staff Development Plan M701.2
• Faculty Personal/Annual Leave Policy M701.3
• Faculty Sick and Dependent Leave Policy M607.4
• Permission for Leave of Absence M701.4
• Faculty Funeral Leave Policy M701.6
• Sabbatical Leave Policy M701.7
• Salary Administration Policy M702.4
• Distance and Summer Course Compensation Policy M702.6
• TIAA/CREF Policy M703.3
• Health Insurance Policy M704.1
• Life Insurance Policy M704.2
• Waivers and Tuition Assistance SB820

• Employee Code of Conduct M308.1
• Consensual Relationships M603.1.1
• Sexual Violence Policy M603.1.2
• Anti-Harassment/Hostile Work Environment M603.1.3
• Workplace Violence M603.1.4
• Conflict of Interest M611.4
• Consulting and Honoraria M611.5
• SBHE Nonrenewal, Termination or Dismissal of Faculty Policy SB605.3
• Equal Educational Opportunity Policy Statements M603.2.1
• Equal Opportunity Grievance Procedures M612
• Standing Committee on Faculty Rights (M605.2)
• Faculty Resignation and Financial Exigency (M605.3)

Annual letters of appointment stating whether the appointment is probationary, tenured, or special are sent to the faculty no later than June 30 according to SBHE Policy 605.1. Faculty letters of appointment must be signed and returned to the Office of the President by July 20. Failure to return the signed document within the specified period renders the letter of appointment null and void and is deemed a notice of resignation by the faculty member, unless a specific extension is granted by the President in writing or, in his/her absence, the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The University may require new faculty to return a signed letter of appointment within a shorter period of time.

A faculty member may terminate an appointment effective at the end of the academic year, providing that he or she gives notice in writing at the earliest possible opportunity, but no later than May 15, or one month after receiving notification of the terms of an appointment for the coming academic year, whichever date occurs later. The faculty member may properly request a waiver of this requirement of notice in cases of hardship or in a situation where an adequate replacement can be employed and he or she would otherwise be denied substantial professional advancement or other opportunity.