MSU offers an array of development options for employees to enhance skills and continue professional growth. Explore a list of campus trainings, courses, and free media resources below.
Campus Trainings
MSU offers a wide range of learning opportunities to help academic staff meet their professional development goals. These include:
- ElevateU is a free online training resource, offering programs that cover leadership, IT & desktop, business, finance, change management, project management, interpersonal skills and more. Courses are offered through videos, books, and preparation for a professional certificate. You can access ElevateU by logging into the EBS portal and locating the ElevateU tile under the “My Career & Training” tab, or by clicking on the image below.
- The Office of Faculty & Staff Development offers programs and additional training opportunities for advisors, including leadership development, career enhancement and growth, and professional development workshops that foster engaging conversations and collaboration among academic specialists.
- The Organization and Professional Development division of MSU Human Resources provides instructor-led courses and workshops on a broad-range of topics. This includes leadership development, methods for enhancing communication skills, and opportunities to expand knowledge in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Kognito for Faculty & Staff helps us learn to notice signs of distress, use techniques to discuss our concerns, and, if necessary, refer students to appropriate resources. Practice these challenging conversations at your own pace through role-play with virtual students. In a national study of effectiveness, this simulation has been shown to increase the number of student referrals to counseling.
Tuition Assistance
All academic specialists with fixed term, probationary, or continuing appointment status and who have a minimum of 24 FTE (full-time equivalent) university service months and are appointed 50% time or more are eligible to apply.
Coverage is limited to four (4) credits per semester with a maximum of twelve (12) credits per academic year at the rate corresponding to the student’s academic level. Only MSU credit courses are covered.
Additional information and eligibility requirements can be found on the Academic Specialists Professional Development Support Program (this link opens in a new window/tab) page of the Human Resources site.
To apply, navigate to the Enterprise Business Systems (EBS) portal, select Educational Assistance System under the My Careers & Training category, and then Apply at the top left of the page. The application will be sent to your supervisor for approval before being submitted to HR for final review.
Free Media
MSU Libraries have purchased licenses to various news sources so MSU students and employees can access them for free. These include:
- The Chronicle of Higher Education: A leading source for news coverage on the academic sector, student life, online learning, college and university job openings, and more.
- From a computer on campus, simply go to the Chronicle website: chronicle.com. The entire MSU IP range is covered by the new subscription, so no login or password is needed. From a computer off-campus, you must connect through the library’s proxy server: http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://chronicle.com. Without this step, the Chronicle site will not be able to authenticate you as an MSU user. Sign in with your MSUnet ID and password for full access to Chronicle content.
- Major Daily Newspapers: Access Detroit Free Press, Lansing State Journal, New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal through MSU Libraries’ Newspaper Guide. Additional newspaper databases and and alternatives to mainstream media are also offered through MSU Libraries.