Creating and Sustaining a Respectful Work Environment Series
This series of workshops is intended for leaders (executive managers, deans, directors, chairs, and supervisors, level 12-17) from across the University to work together to improve the current climate and culture in their units and across the greater campus community.
While sessions are repeated annually, content is updated each year to reflect changes in current policies and practices. We encourage you to attend sessions more than once as new information is regularly shared.
This series is a collaboration between the Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development, the Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs, Human Resources, the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance, and the Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact.
Management of OCR Investigation, Support and Resolution Department Cases: Process & Responsibilities of Leaders
Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Time: 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Location: MSU Main Library, Green Room (4th Floor, West Wing)
Robert Kent, Assistant Vice President for Investigation, Support and Resolution
Amanda Moses, Senior Human Resource Professional, Employee and Labor Relations
Nikki Schmidtke, Director, Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs
HYBRID Wednesday, January 28, 2026, from 9:00 – 11:00 AM EST, MSU Green Room
(A Zoom option is available, but in-person participation is highly encouraged)
This session is designed to provide leaders (executive managers, deans, directors, chairs, and supervisors) an overview of how to manage the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Investigation, Support, and Resolution Department’s (ISR) (formerly OIE) process when there is an active case. This session serves to increase understanding of the ISR process (from the administrator’s perspective), the administrator’s role, defining and navigating interim and supportive measures, the importance of working closely with Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs and/or Employee and Labor Relations throughout the process, and how to address the behavior when there is (or is not) a finding of responsibility in ISR’s process.
REGISTER TO ATTEND ONE OR MORE SESSIONS
What You Need to Know — The Discipline Process for Academic Administrators and Managers
Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026
Time: 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Location: MSU Main Library, Green Room (4th Floor, West Wing)
Stephanie Horton, Director, Employee and Labor Relations, Human Resources
Deborah Johnson, MSU Foundation Professor and Director of the Diversity Research Network
Nikki Schmidtke, Director, Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs
Marilyn Tarrant, Associate Vice President and Chief Audit, Risk and Compliance Officer
HYBRID Thursday, March 12, 2026, from 9:00 – 11:00 AM EST, MSU Green Room
(A Zoom option is available, but in-person participation is highly encouraged)
Holding people accountable in the workplace is a critical component of any supervisor’s job. When things are not going well, understanding the process and the resources available is vital to responding in an equitable and timely manner. This leadership session provides an overview of disciplinary investigations and how to define and administer discipline. The leader’s role in the process will be discussed with a specific focus on difficult conversations, accountability, and early intervention measures.
This session is designed specifically for those serving in a role that supervises any combination of faculty, academic staff and/or support staff.
REGISTER TO ATTEND ONE OR MORE SESSIONS