The university’s elected central faculty governance body on Monday approved resolutions that support suspending the Administrative Services Transformation project and call for faculty input when external consultants are hired.
The Senate Assembly, which consists of 74 faculty members from the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses, approved the AST resolution unanimously and the consultant resolution 36-3.
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Both measures grew out of concerns about the process in which the university administration has sought to consolidate financial transaction and human resource functions at a new Shared Services Center.
The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, the faculty governance system’s executive arm, approved the resolutions a week ago.
In the wake of various faculty complaints about AST, administrators leading the effort have said they will delay moving 275 employees to the new Shared Services Center beyond April, the original launch date for the move.
They also say faculty will be brought in to the process of evaluating the project’s timeline and how it is structured.
In a discussion before Monday’s vote, Senate Assembly members acknowledged the university’s need to cut costs — a key goal of the AST project — but want to ensure the faculty plays a meaningful role in discussions on how those cost savings are achieved.
U-M expects recurring savings of $5 million-$6 million a year once the Shared Services Center is fully operational.
The university’s use of outside consultants in the AST and other cost-containment efforts also has come under criticism.
Senate Assembly members indicated their resolution wasn’t a call to end the use of consultants, but that when they are used there should be more transparency, and faculty with expertise in the relevant topics should have input.
In a written statement, Provost Martha E. Pollack said administrators “appreciate the depth of engagement by the faculty on this topic,” and that they will include more faculty voices.
“We will continue that important dialogue as we work together to evaluate the different options for structuring shared services in the near future. We need to see what is feasible, both technically and economically, and what is consistent with faculty, staff and student needs,” Pollack said.
