Thank you for registering for the winter Communicators' Forum featuring Vice President and General Counsel Timothy G. Lynch. Tim will discuss the newly adopted institutional neutrality bylaw, explaining how it came to be and what it may mean for the university's future.
In advance of the event, please take a moment to review an excerpt from the Report of the Advisory Committee on the University of Michigan Principles on Diversity of Thought & Freedom of Expression and the institutional neutrality bylaw below:
Sec. 14.08. Institutional Neutrality (added October 2024) The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future. To advance the University's mission and protect its longstanding commitment to diversity of thought and freedom of expression; preserve an environment where members of our academic community are free to engage in open inquiry, dialogue, and disagreement; and avoid any suggestion that the University community must conform to a particular side of a contested issue, the University will maintain a position of institutional neutrality on political or social issues and events not directly related to its internal governance. Therefore, University leaders, including Regents, the president, executive officers, chancellors, deans, directors, chairs, and others in similar positions, will not issue statements on behalf of the University or the unit, campus, school, college, department, division, board, or executive committee under their authority, unless such statements directly relate to matters of internal governance. University leaders may issue statements in their individual or scholarly capacity, provided they indicate that they are not speaking on behalf of the University.
During the forum, you'll also hear a Digital Accessibility update from Stephanie Rosen of ITS.
Refreshments will be served from 10-10:30 a.m. The in-person presentation will start promptly at 10:30 a.m. We hope to see you there!
