In a meeting with the Senate Advisory Committee for University Affairs yesterday, University Provost Teresa Sullivan discussed the work she and future Provost Phil Hanlon have done to ease the transition into their respective offices.
Sullivan, who will step down from her position on June 30 to become president of the University of Virginia, said she and Hanlon have been communicating with each other and training staff members in preparation for the change.
“We have been working together for several months now to make that as seamless as possible,” Sullivan said.
Hanlon, who was formerly vice provost for academic and budgetary affairs, will be replaced by Martha Pollack, who is the current dean of the School of Information.
At the meeting, SACUA Chair Ed Rothman praised Sullivan for her ability to listen to members of the committee, even in the face of opposing viewpoints.
Sullivan said she has also enjoyed working with the faculty members, adding that the disagreements did not hinder her good relationship with the members of SACUA.
“It’s a good thing to model to our students that we can disagree with each other, and it’s still OK,” she said.
Later in the meeting, committee members discussed their concerns about a draft salary plan model for the University’s School of Medicine and its possible impact on the rest of the University.
Though the initial plan may only affect the clinical and non-clinical areas of the medical school, members said they are unsure if the drafted salary model will affect other departments.
Due to the uncertainty, faculty members approved Rothman’s motion to form a committee to investigate the salary plan.
“We need to investigate this and learn the potential implications of this,” Rothman said.
SACUA members also voted to elect Bob Fraser, the associate director of the Mardigian Library on the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus, as the new senate secretary.