What Records to Retain/What can be Destroyed

As a quasi-governmental agency, everything the University creates, whether physical or electronic, is considered a record and must be retained for a length that meets NMU policy, accreditation standards, and state and federal laws and regulations.

To determine the records your department must retain and the length of their retention, review our retention schedules below.

Retention Schedules:

The retention schedule for your record should be found in one of the following three categories:

Records that do not need to be Retained and can be Routinely Destroyed
Department Specific Retention Schedule
General Retention Schedule

1) Records that do not need to be Retained and can be Routinely Destroyed

Not all records are required to be stored. These records are typically transitory in nature (records of temporary usefulness) and can routinely be destroyed. They are:

Drafts	Duplicates
Personal Correspondence (Non-Business)	Reservations
Routine Messages (Outside the chance of litigation)	Routing Slips

2) Department Specific Retention Schedule

The Department Specific Retention Schedule lists a selection (not all) of specific records maintained by NMU departments. The retention periods are organized by department.

A-Z List

3) General Retention Schedule

The General Retention Schedule covers broad categories of University records. If your record is not in the Department Specific Retention Schedule, determine your retention schedule here. The schedule is organized by four broad functions that are then divided into sub-functions

Administration	Curriculum and Instruction
Recruitment and Retention	Student Development

Need Assistance Determining What Files to Retain or Destroy?

Contact the Records Management Department, and we would be happy to assist you!

Contact

Records Management—506 Cohodas Hall—managerecords@nmu.edu

906-227-1241

none