Introduction

MIT Policies and Procedures
Revised to 9/97

MIT's Policies and Procedures: A Guide for Faculty and Staff Members (P&P;) has been revised to incorporate changes through August 1997. The previous edition was published in March 1990. Publication of the new edition was coordinated by staff in the Office of the President.

The primary purpose of this document is to state the principal policies and procedures that guide MIT faculty and staff members in the pursuit of Institute objectives and in relations with the community at large. It is also designed to acquaint new faculty and staff members with the organization and aims of the Institute and with their obligations and benefits. Some of the policies in this guide apply to the entire Institute community.

The policies and procedures set forth in this document are those that affect faculty and staff in a way basic to the conduct of Institute affairs or that are applicable to major or critical areas of Institute activity. Another important resource is the MIT Personnel Policy Manual, available in department headquarters or the Human Resources Office. Policies directly affecting students can be found in The MIT Bulletin or obtained from various administrative offices such as the Office of the Dean of Students and Undergraduate Education, the Graduate Education Office, the Registrar's Office, and the Bursar's Office.

These policies and procedures constitute a living document and are subject to change by the Institute. Major changes are communicated to the faculty and staff. Faculty and staff members should be familiar with these policies and procedures and changes therein. P&P; is accessible electronically on the World Wide Web at http://web.mit.edu/policies/. When policy changes occur, they may be found at http://web.mit.edu/policies/updates.html. Questions as to interpretation or the current status of any policy may be addressed to the Administrative Officer in the Office of the President, who is responsible for maintaining a record of new and revised policy statements as well as a list of the primary departmental sources of information about MIT's policies and procedures. Queries can be sent by electronic mail to policies@mit.edu.

Because the application of particular policies may depend on an individual's position or responsibilities within the Institute, a note on definitions may be useful. "Faculty" is as defined in Section 1.5 herein and in the Rules and Regulations of the Faculty. "Staff" is used generically to refer to all employment categories other than members of the Faculty. "Academic staff" includes members of the Faculty, the academic instructional staff (Section 2.3), and the academic research staff (Section 5.3), but not the sponsored research staff (Section 5.2). "Research staff" is used to refer to both the academic research staff and the sponsored research staff. In addition to the categories named above, the Institute makes three other types of appointments, known as administrative staff (Section 6.1), support staff (Section 6.2), and service staff (Section 6.3). For service staff who are covered by union contract, in the event of any conflict between P&P; as it applies to these employees and the applicable union contract, the latter shall govern.

It is hoped that faculty and staff members will find this document a useful guide not only for the conduct of their teaching, research, or administrative activities, but also for the pursuit of their own professional development within the framework of Institute objectives.

How to Access this Document: This edition has been published as a looseleaf notebook and can be accessed electronically at http://web.mit.edu/policies/. Policy revisions will be made to the electronic version as necessary, and those with P&P; notebooks will be able to consult the electronic version for updates and to print out revised policies at http://web.mit.edu/policies/updates.html. Paper reference copies will be available in central locations, such as the MIT Libraries and the Information Center. The entire book, as well as discrete sections, will also be available on a continuously updated, print-on-demand basis at the MIT Copy Technology Center (11-004). This guide will also be made available in alternative format by request; contact the Disability Services Office for more information (TTD 617-258-9344).

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