Susan Najita, associate professor of American culture and of English language and literature in LSA, has been elected to fill a vacancy on the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, the executive arm of U-M’s central faculty governance system.

Najita replaces Alex Yi, a former professor of electrical engineering at UM-Dearborn, who departed the university.

The Senate Assembly, the system’s elected legislative arm, established a three-week nomination period for the open position in September and elected her via electronic voting in early October. The results were announced Oct. 10. Also nominated for the vacancy was Francine Dolins, associate professor of psychology at UM-Dearborn.

In a statement outlining her reasons for running for election, Najita wrote, “We are moving through a time that challenges the very foundations of our university and higher education in general — from research funding, academic freedom, educational opportunity for international students, and civil rights legislation, to name but a few.

“More than ever, as a faculty, I believe we must articulate and defend the wide range of our contributions to the public good. I stand for election to SACUA so that I may ask the clarifying questions and contribute to positive solutions that will guide us toward a meaningful and productive future.”

Najita’s term begins immediately and will run through April 30, 2026. The seat will be one of three on the nine-member SACUA to be filled in March by the Senate Assembly. The new members’ terms will begin May 1, 2026.