Retired faculty still active at MSU now have the chance to get their voice heard within the university.

And fixed-term faculty now have a greater say in how the university functions, as well.

At its Tuesday meeting, Faculty Council passed two motions extending governance participation to both fixed-term faculty and emeriti faculty. This is the first time these two groups have been included in the conversation.

"We are making an effort to be more inclusive in Academic Governance," said Jim Potchen, chairman of Executive Committee on Academic Council. "We want all people who have an interest in the destiny of the institution — who are or have been faculty here — to be able to participate in the discussions of Michigan State."

Emeriti faculty were given the opportunity to participate by a special rule passed at the meeting. Proposed by Potchen, the rule will last the remainder of the 2006-07 academic year. It allows one member of emeriti faculty a seat on Faculty Council, but no vote.

"Many of them have invested their life in the future of Michigan State University," Potchen said. "And almost anything that touches the fabric of the institution they may have experience and interest that would be beneficial to the institution."

Potchen would like to see permanent changes in the bylaws in the 2007-08 school year.

Concerns of emeriti faculty include retirement benefits and the continuation of perks already promised to them, said Lester Manderscheid, professor emeritus of agricultural economics.

"Emeriti faculty would like to contribute to the well-being of the university and make sure that the university keeps moving forward," Manderscheid said.

Chairman of the MSU Faculty Emeriti Association Gary Stone said the rule's passage helps make emeriti faculty feel like a part of the university again.

"I think we can contribute quite a bit. We have a lot of expertise out there," said Stone, a professor emeritus of finance and insurance. "Our goal is to get some of these people back in to contribute to the university, and I think this is the way to do it."

With voice on Faculty Council, Stone said he would like to see representation of emeriti faculty on Academic Council, as well.

"We also have a good grasp of the history of the institution," Stone said. "We spent a lot of years and we want to make sure it continues as a tremendous institution.

"It's a step of bringing a lot of important people back into the university setting," Stone said.

The person representing the emeriti faculty will be decided at their meeting Wednesday, Stone said.

Overall, university governance wants diversity within its structure, with these two changes being major improvements to the system, Potchen said.

"Their careers are entwined in what happens here — they have great value to add, and I think we are just now tapping this source of value," he said.

The extension to fixed-term faculty is part of Task Force 5 — the Faculty Voice's fifth measure designed to increase faculty involvement. The action taken was the first formal step in the Faculty Voice proposals, said Christina DeJong, chairwoman of University Committee on Academic Governance.

The committee quickly wrote the bylaws recommended by Faculty Voice in regard to Task Force 5, she said.

"I'm very pleased to see some of the Faculty Voice work actually taking effect," said DeJong, an associate criminal justice professor.