A temporary restraining order will prevent the University of Michigan from releasing its shortlist of nominations for university president, which was scheduled to be publicized today.
The Detroit Free Press reported that College Provost Lee Bollinger is on the list of nominees, although university officials refuse to validate the rumor.
A temporary restraining order was imposed on Friday compelling the university to temporarily abandon the search because of complaints the rules guiding the next stage of the search are not in compliance with the university's open meetings act, Vice President of Media Relations William Harrison said in a telephone interview from Ann Arbor, Mich.
Since the spring, the presidential search committee has accumulated a list of 300 nominees for president. On Monday, the committee was to release the list of the 300 nominees along with a short list of five to the university's board of regents for further consideration.
In accordance with the state's Open Meetings Act, once the regents assume the search process it must be conducted in public.
Harrison said the Michigan Supreme Court found the university in violation of the state's Open Meetings Act in its 1988 presidential search.
Harrison said since the 1988 ruling, the university revamped its search guidelines in a way they felt complied with the open meetings act, but Michigan newspapers disagreed.
"Basically they think everything in the remainder of the search should be done in the open," Harrison said.
He said according to the new guidelines, the regents can ask questions of certain participants in the search without having to do so in public sessions.
"It's very technical," Harrison said. "Their position is whenever a regent talks to anyone about the search it has to be done in public. It is possible for regents to talk with the search consultant chair or advisory committee one on one, not in a meeting."
"They don't like that," he added.
Harrison said a restraining order was put on the search on Friday afternoon and testimony will be heard on Tuesday morning.
The university adopted an open meetings act in 1982.
