Also see Meridian - Faculty Planning Redesign Tips for changes launched Sept 2020.

Also see Meridian - FAQs which come out of our Meridian weekly office hours.

When are plans due?

Plans are due twice a year, on April 1st (April Fool's Day) and October 31st (Halloween). Not a prank, nor a trick! This cadence was established after gathering feedback from departments. We will send a reminder around the due date approximately one month in advance, and within the software there is a countdown clock as well. While these are the dates when plans are due, the software is always live, and we encourage you to update your plans throughout the year.

How is this data going to be used?

Michigan Medicine Finance will use the FTE and compensation projections for a system-wide view to serve as a basis for long range financial models (Strategic Financial Framework).Faculty Affairs will review the retention data, grant retention approvals, and include the data in the annual Provost request. Dean's Office leadership will review aggregate data to understand trends and themes across the organization as we begin to think about the framework for future mission balance and academic investment prioritization.

We will circle back and share the data uses and insights during quarterly Finance meetings.

Some of the data you are asking for is sensitive. Are my responses being treated with confidentiality?

Absolutely. We understand that some of the data we are collecting should not be shared broadly. The responses will be treated appropriately and any potential sharing, outside of the administrative areas mentioned above, would be approved by our executive leaders in advance of distribution. We always share aggregate data, and never at the individual faculty member level.

Am I going to be held to the data I provide?

No. Plans and projections can change regularly based on a variety of factors. We know predicting the future is difficult, so you will not be held to the data you provide. This is not a budget. We are looking for your best estimate based on what you know today, and may circle back with questions to enhance our understanding.

How confident should I be in my plans and projections? Should I be operating under a certain confidence level?

Consider what seems most likely to occur over the next several years from what you know and believe today, and base your projections off that. We understand many variables can change, and that's okay. This data and information you provide is only going to be used for exactly what it is – a projection of your department's faculty based on best estimates! Remember, we include a field that allows you to indicate the likelihood of the hire, departure, or change. We hope this helps when completing your plans!

Am I supposed to be reflecting merit in this tool?

Merit does not automatically populate in this tool due to variations between departments in terms of which salary bucket merit increase is placed. We will add merit increases on the backend.

Should I include retirement furloughs in the tool? If so, where?

Please include any information on retirement furloughs in the Comments section for each planned change.

Why is there a "Plan Comments" section/button on the List page? Do I need to fill it out?

The Plan Comments section is included for you to provide a narrative around your plans. It is often helpful to share high-level thoughts and insights in regards to your faculty population over the next few years.

What types of information should I include in the comments box at the bottom of each planned change?

This is completely up to you. If you don't have additional information to share, or don't want to share anything additional, don't feel obligated. Some items that departments have mentioned include additional information on hiring packages, specifics related to what new hires will require, specifics on why faculty departed, specialty information, funding information, where faculty will be working (related to potential affiliations), and any other relevant information.

Should I include faculty members we might be hiring for affiliations such as Mid-Michigan or Metro?

If these faculty members are part of the plan to accomplish your strategic objectives, please include these counts in the tool. There is an option to select "Affiliation – Mid-Michigan" or like affiliations.

Should I take into account ramp-up time for new faculty? For example, the faculty may take several months until they are fully ramped-up at Brighton.

Please do not make adjustments for ramp-up time. Report the faculty member in a way that shows what they will look like once they are fully ramped-up.

Am I supposed to be planning retentions for several years out?

No. We are only asking for actual or planned retentions in the current fiscal year or within the past 12 months.

Should I include fellows in the tool? Even if they are only here one year?

Yes, please include fellows in the tool. You can do this by using the "Add a Planned Change" button on the List page and selecting the "Add to a New Placeholder" button (this second step will be done for you if you initially select New Hire). Do this to represent each one of your yearly fellows. For example, if your department brings on five new fellows each year, you can create five new hire planned changes, and then add a departure change to each of those same five. Do this for each fiscal year, and you have now accounted for all your fellows!

How long does it take Planning data to update after a change is made in HR (i.e. Faculty Appointment)?

The Planning application will reflect the change on the day after it is completed in the HR system.

What happens to the planned changes of a Faculty member who is moved to a different department or division?

The planned changes will follow the faculty member and will count toward the planned changes of the new department or division.

How does the application determine which faculty are in a certain department?

Faculty members are generally assigned to departments based on their administrative department, with some adjustments based on appointments made in specific cases. We do recognize that this varies slightly from using appointing department or funding department. Splitting faculty by administrative department ensures each faculty member is reported only once, and is reported by the department that would process the new hire or and departure. These are the rules the system uses to sort faculty into departments/divisions:

1. Organize faculty based on the Scope Department* associated with their Admin Department.
2. For Faculty in Pediatrics, Surgery, and Internal Medicine organize based on their Main Appointing** department/division (under the PEDS, SURG, IM scope dept).
   
   1. IF faculty with an Admin Scope Dept is in Pediatrics, Surgery, or Int Med BUT their Main Appt Dept is outside of those three depts, then organize by the 'department department' within the Admin Scope department. (i.e the Level 5 generic department: 252000---Pediatric & Comm Diseases Dept, 237000----Internal Medicine Department, 302000---Surgery Department)

* Scope Department: Level 4 department at, or above, the Admin Department. (Level 4 M-Pathways/Peoplesoft Lineage)

• • Examples: Family Medicine, Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Psychology, Radiology, Cardiac Surgery, DCMB, Microbiology & Immunology

** Main Appointing Department: Department/Division associated with the highest FTE appointment.