Welcome to a faculty information site

Photo of Beaumont Towers in the Spring

Michigan State University has for some years considered establishing an organization focused on applied research and development activities not generally consistent with the mission of conducting basic and applied research and education in an academic setting. Changes in federal funding patterns and in the economy over the past decade have put new pressures on some areas of faculty research, pressures that a University Research Organization (URO) might help to alleviate without diminishing the University’s commitment to its mission.

The Executive Committee on Academic Governance, predecessor to the current Steering Committee, chartered an ad hoc committee with investigating the potential for Michigan State University to establish a URO. This committee was constituted in May 2011 with instructions to report to the Steering Committee during the fall 2011 semester. John Powell wrote: “The URO Working Committee’s charge is to identify recommendations for the development and implementation of an information program to engage MSU faculty in the discussion of an MSU-URO.”

This website, open to faculty members using their ordinary MSU log-in procedure, is the committee’s fulfillment of its role in making extensive information available to all faculty while its recommendations work their way through the governance process. The committee hopes that the faculty will engage in informed discussion of the many issues raised in the documents provided on this site and will make opinions known to appropriate committees of academic governance. 

To learn more click here.