Artificial Intelligence and Faculty Policies Discussed at University of Michigan Senate Assembly

At a meeting held at the Alexander G. Ruthven Building, the University of Michigan Senate Assembly discussed clinical faculty promotion criteria, the role of artificial intelligence in collegiate education, and proposed changes to the Board of Regents bylaws.

Members of the University of Michigan Senate Assembly gathered to update clinical faculty promotion criteria within the Medical School. Kentaro Toyama, chair of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA), explained that a new portfolio-based promotion system tailored to clinical practices is being prepared to replace criteria that have been in place for decades and were better suited for tenure tracks. Terrill Bravender, a clinical professor from the medical school, emphasized that this change is an adjustment streamlining the workflow rather than a complete overhaul of the system.

The meeting also addressed 28 proposed changes to the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities, which was drafted in response to the unilateral modification of disciplinary procedures for the 2024 student protests. Stating that the amendments submitted by the administration undermine student rights, Toyama noted that 22 of these provisions were accepted by University President Domenico Grasso and Vice President for Student Life Martino Harmon.

Tazin Daniels from the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching pointed out the complex relationship between artificial intelligence and academic integrity, stating that faculty members have been pushed into a policing role. Meanwhile, History Professor Derek Peterson argued that artificial intelligence reduces the need for expertise and could eliminate human learning, whereas Associate Professor of Psychology Francine Dolins stated that evaluating student assignments using artificial intelligence requires consent regarding the student's intellectual property rights.

At the end of the meeting, Faculty Senate Director Luke McCarthy presented draft amendments containing housekeeping and substantive updates to the regents' bylaws. The Senate Assembly unanimously approved forwarding all of these changes to the University Faculty Senate for a final vote on November 9. The session concluded with the introduction of a draft declaration on faculty rights and responsibilities initiated by SACUA.