Four faculty members are seeking seats on the University of Michigan’s Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs. On behalf of members of the Faculty Senate, SACUA advises and consults with the President, Provost, and other executive officers of the University on matters of policy and University concern that impact faculty interests.
The three top vote-getters in the March 15 election will serve three-year terms that begin May 1. The person who comes in fourth place will complete the final year of an existing term.
SACUA is the executive arm of the university’s central faculty governance system, which also includes the Senate Assembly and the Faculty Senate.
The Senate Assembly consists of 74 elected faculty members from the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses. The Faculty Senate is made up of all professorial faculty, librarians, full-time research faculty, executive officers and deans.
Senate Assembly representatives will electronically cast their votes for the new SACUA members at 4:30 p.m. March 15 during the virtual Senate Assembly meeting. Representatives will be able to nominate additional candidates from the floor during the meeting.
The winning candidates will succeed Chair Colleen Conway, Vice Chair Annalisa Manera and members Ivo Dinov and Deirdre Spencer.
SACUA terms last for three years. However, the fourth-place finisher in the election will serve for one year to finish the remainder of Manera’s term.
Here’s a look at one of the candidates, our very own Dr. Durga Singer, based on information she submitted:
Kanakadurga Singer
Valerie Castle Opipari Professor of Pediatrics, associate professor of pediatrics and of molecular and integrative physiology, Medical School
Faculty leadership:Member, Academic Affairs Advisory Committee, 2019-present, chair from 2020-present; representative, Senate Assembly, 2019-present; associate director for Graduate Program in Immunology, 2019-present; faculty adviser in the Office of Faculty Development, Michigan Medicine, 2019-present; member of the Advancing Inclusive Leadership Committee 2015-present.
Candidate statement: I ran in the Senate Assembly election because of my interest in advocating for and representing the faculty at Michigan Medicine. My experiences with faculty development and DE&I highlighted the unique issues faced by Medical School faculty but my time on Senate Assembly and AAAC emphasized the similarities of faculty experience across campus. I have a strong interest in supporting faculty across the University of Michigan and building a cohesive community. My commitment if elected is to ensure that faculty are represented, perspectives are shared with leadership and faculty have support to carry out the missions of the University.
