SACUA has adopted the following rule related to being a SACUA member while also holding certain leadership positions:
Conflicts of Interest
Specific Rule: SACUA Membership While Holding Certain University Leadership Positions
Rule
SACUA members shall not simultaneously serve as SACUA members while also holding leadership positions within the Office of the President, the Office of a Vice President or a Chancellor, or the Office of a Dean (including as the Chair of a Department). SACUA members who are considering an administrative appointment should notify SACUA chair at the earliest possible. Upon acceptance of an administrative position, the SACUA member is expected to resign within 2 weeks.
Explanation
Under the Rules of the Michigan Board of Regents, “the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs [SACUA], on behalf of the Assembly, shall advise and consult with the President of the University on matters of University policy and shall serve as an instrument for effecting the actions of the Senate and the Assembly. It shall nominate and supervise the committees of the assembly . . . .” (Sec. 4.08). Moreover, “the Assembly shall establish standing committees to advise and consult with the vice presidents of the University on matters within the areas of their respective responsibilities” (Sec. 4.06).
Given SACUA’s unique institutional role on matters of University policy in representing faculty and advising the President and supervising the Assembly committees that advise the University’s Vice Presidents, SACUA members must be actually and apparently free to offer advice, including by providing contrary opinions, to the University’s leadership. While faculty are often simultaneously holding positions of leadership while at the University, not all leadership positions are necessarily in conflict with holding a position on SACUA. However, Senate members may see an apparent or actual conflict between the duties of SACUA members and the duties of positions within the organizational hierarchy of the offices that SACUA and the Senate Assembly’s committees advise. To avoid that actual or apparent conflict of interest, SACUA members should not hold positions within the University’s leadership structure.
For reference in conjunction with the above rule, the University’s official Organization Charts are periodically updated and provided here: https://spg.umich.edu/org-charts/organizational-structure.
Approved by SACUA: March 6, 2023