The University of Michigan Senate Assembly met Monday afternoon in the Alexander G. Ruthven Building to overview upcoming Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs nominations and requirements, discuss the effects of President Donald Trump’s executive orders on faculty members and hear from Aruna Sarma, research faculty assistant dean, and University Provost Dr. Laurie K. McCauley.
Mousumi Banerjee, School of Public Health representative, voiced concerns about the uncertainty surrounding federal research funding, particularly the National Institutes of Health, highlighting the collective anxiety felt by faculty across campus.
“(We) are tremendously stressed and worried about the potential loss of funding due to President Trump’s pause on NIH and other funding agencies,” Banerjee said. “I’m just wondering if the Senate Assembly would kind of try to bring our collective voices across different schools on campus on this very real issue.”
Other faculty members from various departments shared their own concerns about the effect of these executive orders on their research. Modrak encouraged continued dialogue, stressing the importance of understanding diverse perspectives across disciplines.
“It’s really helpful especially to hear from you in all of these disciplines,” Modrak said. “So, because we’re each so different and how we work, with funding it might seem like what’s happening in your situation we’re all going through that, but that’s not necessarily the case. So please share your experiences or your concerns with us, just to make sure that they’re understood.”
Modrak then introduced Sarma to present ongoing concerns about the rapid loss of research track faculty in the Medical School. Sarma explained that upon looking at all research assistants hired between 2006 and 2012, they found an alarming amount of faculty leaving.
“What we found is that of all of the people who were hired at that rank during this time period, more than half of them have already left the institution,” Sarma said. “Fifty-four percent have departed … Unfortunately, the levels of departure and attrition are far greater than what we see for our clinical and tenure track faculty. So we’re losing these people at rates that I just feel are a little bit uncomfortable.”
McCauley then answered questions about the future of research funding and diversity, equity and inclusion DEI initiatives in response to new executive orders issued by Trump.
“I know I don’t have to tell all of you that we’re in a period of uncertainty right now,” McCauley said. “Not a day goes by on my schedule without attention to what’s going on in Washington, D.C., and how things may be impacting our university … Anywhere from getting messages about NIH study panels being halted to NSF, study panels being halted to edicts about DEI, about student loans. It goes on and on.”
McCauley responded to numerous inquiries from Senate Assembly members about the future of research, explaining that the University has been actively strategizing ways to support faculty amid funding disruptions.
“I also had a conversation just today with our CFO, Geoffrey Chatas, about considering how we can support our faculty whose research may be halted,” McCauley said. “In other words, they have an active grant and the funds are not being supplied, things that we can do to provide or mobilize or finance.”
The meeting closed with words of encouragement from McCauley and positive hopes for the future.
“I hope things have more clarity for all of us in the coming days, and I hope we have an opportunity to talk about more joyous things, like our Vision 2034,” McCauley said.
Daily Staff Reporter Anna Pierson can be reached at annapie@umich.edu.
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