Latest update: May 12, 2022
U-M, Schlissel reach settlement
The university and former president Mark Schlissel have reached a settlement agreement that grants him a one-year leave of absence, pays him for earned, but unpaid deferred compensation and includes an apology for his poor judgment and the disruption that it caused. The agreement brings closure to this matter and allows the university to move forward.
University statement
This agreement between the university and Mark Schlissel brings closure to this matter and allows the university to move forward. He has apologized to the university community for his poor judgment and the disruption that it caused.
The agreement resolves any matters that may have been subject to arbitration under the previous employment agreement and avoids potential legal fees for both parties.
Deferred compensation is payment for compensation earned but not yet paid.
A year of paid administrative leave is the typical transition between an administrative appointment and return to the faculty.
It also is common practice in higher education for presidents to be granted faculty positions, with tenure, beginning with their service as presidents. Schlissel, a professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and microbiology and immunology, with tenure, retains his faculty appointments, granted in 2014.
As already determined by the leadership of his departments, the annual salary for his faculty appointments will be $185,000.
University Record: U-M, Schlissel reach settlement that includes apology
Former President Coleman will serve as interim
Jan. 27, 2022
The University of Michigan Board of Regents voted unanimously Jan. 15 to immediately remove Mark S. Schlissel as president of the university and to appoint Mary Sue Coleman as president on an interim basis.
The board said it took the action to remove Schlissel for cause after receiving information about an alleged sexual affair with a subordinate – not in the President’s Office – and determining that these interactions “were inconsistent with promoting the dignity and reputation of the University of Michigan.” The board will affirm its decision during the Feb. 17 meeting on the Ann Arbor campus.
Schlissel, also a professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and microbiology and immunology, with tenure, retains his faculty appointments, granted in 2014. Those departments are now in the process of officially absorbing him into the faculty and determining what his initial duties will be as he makes this transition. Microbiology and Immunology in the Medical School will be his home department for administrative purposes.
The board engaged the outside law firm of Jenner & Block on Dec. 8 to handle the ongoing investigation into this matter. Read the firm’s engagement letter here.
Schlissel employment agreement
Statement by Mary Sue Coleman on U-M interim appointment
Record: Regents remove Schlissel as president; appoint Coleman interim president
