Faculty Handbook

Liability for MSU faculty and staff

All MSU employees are covered for workers’ compensation benefits through MSU’s self-insurance program. This coverage includes medical, wage-loss, and rehabilitation benefits as applicable.

MSU has a foreign liability policy that insures against bodily injury to others or property damage outside the United States or Puerto Rico. MSU employees are covered for acts within the scope of employment and services performed on behalf of or under the direction of the University. Revenue resulting from employment conducted abroad must flow to the University in order for the employee to be covered for liability. This includes MSU faculty leaders and Resident Directors of MSU study abroad programs. Coverage is excluded for criminal activities, intentional acts of injury, or injury to a fellow employee.

The following policy was approved by the Board of Trustees on March 15, 1974 and revised on September 2, 1983:

“Michigan State University will support its trustees, officers, faculty, and staff when acting in the performance of assigned duties on behalf of the University. This policy also applies to students while engaged in approved academic programs and volunteers who are performing services for the University with prior written approval of the appropriate University official. The University will defend, save harmless, and indemnify such persons against any suit or proceeding, wherever brought, premised upon the fact that he or she is or was a member of the Board or an officer, employee, student, or volunteer of the University. The indemnity extends to expenses including attorney fees, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement, actually and reasonably incurred, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding where such person had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. As a condition of indemnification, the trustee, official, employee, student, or volunteer is required to cooperate fully on a continuous basis with the University Attorney and the Office of Insurance and Risk Management.”