The personnel policies adopted by the Board of Trustees of Northern Michigan university are intended to inform employees, as defined in Chapter 1, and to guide the actions of university administrators in areas specifically addressed by the adopted policy statements. These policies are not intended to be a complete statement of how the university is to be managed nor are they to be construed as the sole source of administrative authority with respect to personnel matters. All personnel actions by university administrators are subject to review and approval by the Board of Trustees.

The university retains the right to change, modify, suspend, interpret, or cancel in whole or in part any of the published or unpublished personnel policies or practices of the university, without advance notice, in its sole discretion, without having to give cause or justification or consideration to any employee. Recognition of the above-stated rights and prerogatives of the university is a term and condition of employment and of continued employment.

The university will normally inform covered employees of changes, additions, or termination of personnel policies by publication in a university published document of general distribution to covered employees or by some other appropriate means. The effective date of any such policy or practice shall not be affected by its publication date.

In order to avoid confusion about the breadth of discretion in which university administrators are authorized to act in personnel matters, the following statement is set forth by way of illustration and not by way of limitation. In carrying out the policies of the Board of Trustees, the duly appointed university administrators are authorized to:

1. exercise full and exclusive control of the management of the university, the supervision of all operations, methods, processes, means, and personnel by which any and all work will be performed, the control of property and the composition, assignment, direction, and determination of the size and type of its working forces;

2. determine the work to be done and the standards to be met by employees;

3. change or introduce new operations, methods, processes, means, or facilities, and to determine whether and to what extent work shall be performed by employees;

4. hire all employees, establish and change work schedules, set hours of work, establish, eliminate, combine, or change classifications, prescribe and assign job duties, assign, transfer, promote, demote, release, and layoff and recall employees, and to determine the qualifications and competency of employees to perform available work;

5. determine the qualifications and compensation and the conditions for the continued employment of employees, and to suspend, discipline, and discharge employees;

6. efficiently and economically manage the affairs of the university, and to maintain an orderly and effective operation of the university, including determination of quantity and quality of service to be rendered, the control of materials, tools, and equipment to be used, and the discontinuance of any program, services, material, or method of operation.

This policy statement supersedes any and all prior policies, understandings, practices, customs, or agreements by the Board of Trustees or the administration of the university with respect to any matter addressed by this statement.