Academic Specialist Manual

4.2 Letter of Offer

Academic Specialist Offer Letter Template 6/22

The letter of offer for probationary appointments shall include information on the length of the initial probationary appointment, the initial salary level, and the opportunity for additional probationary reappointments. Specific information about conditions which may affect reappointments should be provided. If an appointment is on an annual basis, a statement that the University's basic appointment commitment is for an academic year appointment only must be provided in the letter of offer (see Sections 4.3 and 4.6).

The letter of offer for appointments in the Academic Specialist continuing appointment system requires the use of the offer letter template and shall include the offer letter attachments.

The letter of offer for fixed term appointments shall include information on the beginning and ending dates of the appointment, the salary level, and a statement that the University is not obligated to provide reappointment or extension of the fixed term appointment beyond the ending date (see Section 4.9).

The letter of offer to international employees shall also state that the offer is contingent on their securing valid immigration status and work authorization before the expected start date and maintaining valid immigration status and work authorization throughout the employment. For the limited purpose of complying with federal export control regulations, international employees may be required to provide information about their citizenship status depending on the nature of the employment activities. If subject to federal export control regulations, international employees may also be required to maintain full-time employment status at MSU, confirm that their permanent abode throughout the period of employment is in the U.S., and sign a confidentiality agreement concerning transfer of certain technical data. See 22 CFR 125.4. Prior to beginning work, all international employees should contact the Office of Export Control and Trade Sanctions at (517) 432-4499 or export@msu.edu to ensure compliance with export control requirements.

All letters of offer for academic year (AY) appointments must specify that the academic year duty period is August 16 through May 15, with pay received over the duty period.


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