The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, the executive arm of U-M’s central faculty governance system, is seeking candidates to serve a variety of upcoming terms.
The nine-member panel will need to fill six vacant terms of various lengths — twice its normal annual turnover — when the Senate Assembly elects new SACUA members in March.
According to the Regents’ Bylaws, “The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, 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.”
Three of the vacancies are due to members leaving SACUA at the conclusion of their regular three-year terms, while two other members are going on sabbatical next year, and another member has left the university.
The Senate Assembly, which consists of 74 elected faculty members from the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses, will fill the SACUA vacancies during its March 21 meeting. A nominating committee will present a slate of candidates at that meeting, and nominees also will be accepted from the floor.
SACUA meets weekly and advises and consults with the U-M president, provost and executive officers on matters of university policy. Together with the Senate Assembly, it represents the voice of the faculty.
“The quality and effectiveness of faculty self-governance depends on broad representation,” says Silke-Maria Weineck, the current SACUA chair. “At a time of unprecedented and at times worrisome changes in higher education, it is more important than ever that faculty get involved and engaged.”
The group also coordinates and initiates governance activities, and serves as an instrument for implementing the actions of the Assembly, as well as the full Faculty Senate, which consists of all professorial faculty, librarians, full-time research faculty, executive officers and deans.
Eligible candidates must be a Faculty Senate member and have served on either Senate Assembly or a Senate Assembly committee during their time at U-M.
Candidates will be needed to fill the following upcoming vacancies:
• Two partial terms that run from May 1, 2016, to April 30, 2017.
• A partial term that runs from May 1, 2016, to April 30, 2018.
• Three full terms that run from May 1, 2016, to April 30, 2019.
Interested faculty members can apply online or contact SACUA at [email protected].
