The University of Michigan will no longer take stances on issues that are not directly related to its own governance, under a new policy adopted Thursday by the university’s board of regents.
The policy says the university will adopt a stance of “institutional neutrality on social and political issues. “Therefore, University leaders, including Regents, the president, executive officers, chancellors, deans, directors, chairs, and others in similar positions, will not issue statements on behalf of the University or the unit, campus, school, college, department, institute, center, division, board, or executive committee under their authority, unless such statements directly relate to matters of internal governance,” the policy says.
Regent Sarah Hubbard said the new policy applies only to people speaking on behalf of the university itself.
“And I can assure you, this will not limit the individual voices of regents and other individuals to speak their minds regarding issues both on and off campus. But we will not be speaking on behalf of the institution regarding social and political issues that are not related to our internal governance," Hubbard said.
At the meeting, held in Flint, one faculty member spoke out against the policy, saying it’s not always clear when a director is speaking on their own, or for their department.
“This is a new calculus that faculty must engage in every time they speak, putting a chilling effect on even the most basic academic speech.”” said Kimberly Saks, a University of Michigan-Flint professor, who also serves as Associate Director of the Institute for Society and Technology.
The U of M Board of Regents voted unanimously to approve the new policy of institutional neutrality. It came after being recommended by a university advisory committee. And the policy statement comes as the university leadership has avoided calls from some students for the U of M to divest from companies linked to the Israeli military.
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