“To 
show 
the 
film 
now, 

especially 
without 
substantial 

framing, content advisory and a 
focus on its inherent racism is in 
itself a racist act, regardless of the 
professor’s intentions,” Chambers 
wrote. “We need to acknowledge 
that as a community.”

Five days after Sheng showed 

the video, on Sept. 15, Gier 
sent a department-wide email 

acknowledging the incident and 
apologizing for what students 
experienced. 

“Professor Sheng’s actions do not 

align with our School’s commitment 
to anti-racist action, diversity, equity 
and inclusion,” Gier said.

The email also stated the 

incident had been reported to the 
Office of Equity, Civil Rights, and 
Title IX.

Sheng’s apology causes 

controversy

On Sept. 16, Sheng sent out a 

formal apology to the department. 
He wrote that after doing more 
research into the issue, he realized 
the true extent to which racism 
impacts American culture, adding 
that he failed to recognize the racist 
connotation of blackface makeup.

“In a classroom, I am a teacher 

representing the university and I 
should have thought of this more 
diligently 
and 
fundamentally; 

I apologize that this action was 
offensive and has made you angry,” 
Sheng wrote. “It also has made me 
lost (sic) your trust.”

However, the apology has been 

another 
source 
of 
controversy 

among students. Students have taken 
particular issue with the section of 
the letter where Sheng lists multiple 
examples of how he has worked with 
people of color in the past. 

“At the world premiere of my 

opera The Silver River in South 
Carolina in 2000, I casted an 
African American actress (for 
the leading role), an Asian female 
dancer and a white baritone for 
the three main characters,” Sheng 
wrote.

University of Michigan President 

Mark Schlissel signed a contract 
with the Board of Regents on Sept. 23 
guaranteeing that he will be paid his 
same salary of $927,000 for two years 
after his resignation in June 2023, 
according to a copy of the contract 
obtained by The Michigan Daily.

Schlissel announced Oct. 5 that 

he will resign in June 2023, a year 
earlier than originally planned. The 
Board of Regents and Schlissel held a 
public meeting on Sept. 23 but made 
no mention of Schlissel’s planned 
resignation or the signing of a new 
contract.

“After discussion with the Board 

of Regents, I decided that this timing 
is appropriate,” Schlissel wrote in an 
email to the University community 
on Oxt. 5. “The new horizon gives 
the Board time to consult with our 

community, think about the future 
and thoroughly plan and conduct a 
search for my successor, while allow-
ing us to continue momentum on 
important and time-critical efforts 
that are underway.” 

After stepping down as president 

no later than July 1, 2023, Schlissel 
will become President Emeritus, a 
role in which he “will be engaging 
in a variety of activities in support of 
the University as well as continuing 
(his) ambassadorship of higher edu-
cation more generally,” according to 
the contract. 

Per the terms of the contract, as 

President Emeritus, the University 
will give Schlissel $36,000 per fiscal 
year “to be used in (his) discretion to 
support (his) activities as President 
Emeritus.” He will also be given an 
office space on Central Campus, a 
parking space and an office assis-
tant. The money, office and office 
assistant will be for an initial term 
of seven years through July 1, 2030, 

with automatic renewal every three 
years unless terminated or modified 
by the Board of Regents. 

In his first year after resigna-

tion, Schlissel will serve as a special 
advisor, working under the Board of 
Regents to “promote the interests of 
the University, support a new presi-
dent in ensuring a successful transi-
tion, and perform other reasonable, 
appropriate duties,” according to the 
contract. While Schlissel serves as 
special advisor, he will be paid his 
current presidential salary and also 
receive a monthly $5,000 housing 
allowance, as he must move out of 
the presidential house on South Uni-
versity no more than 30 days after 
ending his presidency. 

If a new president is appointed 

after Jan. 1, 2023 and before Schlis-
sel’s resignation date of July 1, 2023, 
Schlissel will start immediately as 
special advisor. 

After he finishes his term as spe-

cial advisor, he can go on leave for 

one year — paid at the rate of his cur-
rent presidential salary. He can then 
return to the University as a tenured 
faculty member in the Microbiology 
and Immunology department and 
the Molecular, Cellular and Develop-
mental Biology department.

Per the terms of the contract, the 

University will provide Schlissel 
with a $2 million starting fund — 
which he can begin using while serv-
ing as special advisor — to establish 
a research laboratory for his tenured 
faculty position. His salary as a ten-
ured faculty member will be at least 
50% of his current presidential sal-
ary.

If Schlissel decides to retire on 

or after June 30, 2023, his service 
requirements will be waived. His 
retirement package currently pro-
vides that “the University will match 
the President’s five percent contri-
bution with a ten percent Univer-
sity contribution on salary of up to 
$290,000,” according to the contract.

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
2 — Wednesday, October 13, 2021 

The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is publishing weekly on Wednesdays for the 
Winter 2021 semester by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available 
free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office 
for $2. If you would like a current copy of the paper mailed to you, please visit store.

pub.umich.edu/michigan-daily-buy-this-edition to place your order.

BRITTANY BOWMAN
Managing Editor babowm@umich.edu

BARBARA COLLINS and LIAT WEINSTEIN 
Managing News Editors news@michigandaily.com

Senior News Editors: Emma Ruberg, Hannah Mackay, Calder Lewis, Jasmin 
Lee, Kristina Zheng, Lily Gooding
Investigative Editor: Sammy Sussman
FOIA Manager: Ayse Eldes

ELIZABETH COOK and JOEL WEINER
Editorial Page Editors tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Senior Opinion Editors: Julian Barnard, Brandon Cowit, Shubhum Giroti, Jessie 
Mitchell, Evan Stern

ELISE GODFRYD and ELIZABETH YOON
Managing Arts Editors 
 arts@michigandaily.com

ALLISON ENGKVIST and MADDIE HINKLEY
Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com

ANDIE HOROWITZ
Managing Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com
Deputy Editors: Samantha Cole, Leo Krinsky

MADISON GAGNE and OLIVIA BRADISH
Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com

Senior Copy Editors: Caroline Atkinson, Anjali Chiravuri, Ethan Patrick, 
Kelsey Burke, Emily Wilson, Vanita Seed, Ellen Howell, Kathryn Kulie, Rena 
McRoy, Alison Chesnick

PARTH DHYANI and NAITIAN ZHOU
Managing Online Editors 
 webteam@michigandaily.com

IULIA DOBRIN and ANNIKA WANG
Managing Video Editors video@michigandaily.com

Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Noor Moughni, Maya Kadouh, Eliya Imtiaz, 
Jessica Kwon, Lola Yang

Senior Sports Editors: Drew Cox, Lily Friedman, Jack Kingsley, Brendan Roose, 
Daniel Dash, Jared Greenspan, Jacob Cohen

Senior Video Editors: Margaret Rudnick, Jordan Shefman

Senior Social Media Editors: Kirti Aplash, Natalie Knight, Cristina Costin, 
Ryan Postman, Evan DeLorenzo, Sarah Kent, Bella Morreale

Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building

420 Maynard St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327

www.michigandaily.com

ARTS SECTION

arts@michigandaily.com

SPORTS SECTION

sports@michigandaily.com

NEWS TIPS

tipline@michigandaily.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

tothedaily@michigandaily.com

EDITORIAL PAGE

opinion@michigandaily.com

TARA MOORE
Business Manager

business@michigandaily.com

CLAIRE HAO

Editor in Chief

eic@michigandaily.com

PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION

photo@michigandaily.com

NEWSROOM

news@michigandaily.com

CORRECTIONS

corrections@michigandaily.com

LANE KIZZIAH and KENT SCHWARTZ 
Managing Sports Editors sports@michigandaily.com

Senior Arts Editors: Kari Anderson, Drew Gadbois, Andrew Pluta, Grace 
Tucker, Sophia Yoon
Arts Beat Editors: Lilly Pearce, Peter Hummer, Mik Deitz, Sabriya Imami, 
Kaitlyn Fox, Anya Soller

SHANNON STOCKING and ALLISON YIH
Managing Design Editors 
 design@michigandaily.com

ANAMIKA KANNAN and GABRIJELA SKOKO
Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com

HALEY JOHNSON and ASHA LEWIS 
Managing Social Media Editors socialmedia@michigandaily.com

Editorial Staff

Business Staff

Senior Photo Editors: Emma Mati, Miles Macklin, Becca Mahon, Julia 
Schachinger
Assistant Photo Editors: Grace Beal, Tess Crowley, Kate Hua, Jarett Orr, 
Dominick Sokotoff

RORI MILLER
Creative Director

EMILY OHL and GERALD SILL
Managing Podcast Editors podeditors@michigandaily.com

SCHUYLER JANZEN

Sales Manager

ADVERTISING

WMG-contact@umich.edu 

JACK GRIEVE
Digital Managing Editor jgrieve@umich.edu

ALEX HARRING and SARAH SZALAI 
Co-Chairs of Access & Inclusion accessandinclusion@michigandaily.com

Senior Podcast Editors: Doug McClure, Max Rosenzweig, Avin Katyal

NEWS BRIEF
Schlissel to be paid full presidential salary 
of $927,000 for two years after resignation

Contract also includes $36,000 per year, $60,000 housing stipend and $2 million for new lab 

JASMIN LEE
Daily News Editor

Associate Editor: Julia Maloney

MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily

The student section for Michigan Hockey – The Children of Yost – holds up Michigan Daily papers while the opposing team introduces its players Saturday night.

PHOTO

MS: I’m always working with the 

board, and I work incredibly closely 
with them. I’d say there isn’t a week 
that goes by that I’m not speaking 
with 
several 
board 
members 

individually. I think the board is as 
responsible as I am for any of the 
successes that the University’s had 
since I’ve been here. We deal with 
the same challenges together, the 
challenges are very intense — we’re 
living in a very critical era — and just 
like any personal set of relationships 
that are intense, they go up and down. 

I don’t talk in the media about 

private conversations with the board 
— it’s just not appropriate — but I’d say 
there’s great alignment between the 
board and myself of what we’re trying 
to accomplish for the University: to 
continue to make it an outstanding 
educational institution where folks 
can come and study regardless of 
their wealth or their background, 
and a diverse community that’s doing 
research that makes a difference 
in the world, and we’re completely 
aligned on that. There are always ups 
and downs. 

I wouldn’t give credence to 

individual news articles, certainly 
ones that don’t cite name sources. It’s 
always easier that way, and what can 
I say?

TMD: Many have criticized the 

amount of money offered in your 
exit package and the fact that it was 
negotiated in secret. What do you say 
to these criticisms, and do you believe 
that your package is too generous?

MS: I’d say that the package is 

really the contract that I signed three 
or so years ago when I was renewed 
for a second five-year term, and what 
the agreement does is it changes the 
term from 10 years to nine years, 
and keeps me on as a consultant for 
that 10th year. It seems like a fair 
way forward to the board and to me. 
That’s basically it. It’s not new. The 
agreement itself that you’re referring 
to is new, but the terms are really 
basically the terms of my renewal 
back in 2018.

TMD: A Free Press report also 

details changes in funding the 
Detroit Center for Innovation that 
were not shared with the regents. 
The report states that the original 
plan for the center ended and you and 
Stephen Ross negotiated with Ilitch 
Holdings to gain the firm’s support 
of the center. What is the current 
status of plans for the center, and why 
was the board not informed of the 
negotiations? 

MS: The work of developing the 

Detroit Center for Innovation had 
really taken place between Stephen 
Ross and his company Related, and 
initially with Bedrock, Dan Gilbert’s 
company. We were a partner to the 
extent that once the whole complex 
was built, we were going to run the 
educational programs we spoke 

about. I was not present for the 
detailed discussions between Ross 
and Gilbert that broke down, and 
then Ross began looking for other 
partners, as has been reported in the 
media. Again, that wasn’t part of our 
part of the deal — we were interested 
to see how that turned out. 

And at the time that the news 

broke about the DCI, I wasn’t 
aware of any signed agreement for 
a different partnership. I knew Mr. 
Ross was in conversation. The board 
asked me to hold off while the dust 
settles, and now that the pandemic 
is on the wane, but will have changed 
the world, we need to take a deep 
breath and consider whether the 
DCI project is the right thing for the 
University to do. I think that was a 
really fair request for the board that 
we reconsider it in a post-pandemic 
world. I’m hopeful that we still get to 
do the project, but again, that’ll be a 
matter of discussion with the board.

TMD: Will you have any role in 

the search or appointment of your 
successor, and does the Board of 
Regents have any kind of timeline for 
when that decision will be made or 
when the University community will 
be receiving any updates?

MS: I can’t speak for the board 

in terms of any timing or any details 
of the search. Traditionally, sitting 
presidents don’t play a role in the 
actual search but do play a role at the 
stage of helping with the transition, 
and that’s what I promised the board. 
But I told the board I’m happy to do 

whatever they’d like me to do to help, 
because I’m invested in the future 
success of the University for the 
next two years where I remain the 
president and then thereafter.

TMD: It was announced that 

you recently signed a contract, as we 
discussed earlier, agreeing to a role 
as president emeritus following the 
expiration of your presidency in June 
2023. Can you elaborate on what role 
you’ll have at the University following 
your resignation?

Schlissel: President Emeriti help 

raise money and help represent the 
university, but not in the capacity that 
would create any confusion with the 
true president. For example, President 
Coleman, she’s president emerita, but 
nobody thinks she’s still in charge. 
That would be my role. 

But after I’m done as president, 

I’ll still be a tenured member of the 
Michigan faculty. I’m a professor of 
medicine, I’m a professor of molecular 
biology and biochemistry, and I’m in 
a number of divisions in the Medical 
School. So most likely I’d end up 
starting to teach again and resuming 
a small research lab studying the 
immune system, which is what I did 
for 25 years before I started doing this 
administrative work.

Daily News Editor Calder Lewis 

can be reached at calderll@umich.
edu. Daily Staff Reporters Arjun 
Thakkar and George Weykamp can 
be reached at arjunt@umich.edu and 
gweykamp@umich.edu.

SCHLISSEL
From Page 1

SMTD
From Page 1

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

