The University Of Michigan Board Of Regents is responsible for how University funds are used and what philosophy is used to govern them. Essentially they influence almost all aspects of how the University runs, either directly or indirectly. This is because they are responsible for the hiring and firing of the deans of schools and the President of the University (currently Mary Sue Coleman). As a result, they have the bottom line about issues including, but not limited to:

• Tuition: Does it go up or down? If students vote to increase student fees, the Regents must approve it in order for the fee increase to actually happen.
• University Housing: Creating new dorms, installing the new key card system.
• Labor: Wages, who gets hired, who gets promoted.
  • Have an indirect influence on bargaining with University labor such as the Graduate Employees Union (GEO). They can vote down or pass a contract.
• Admissions policies: What is the role of affirmative action?
• Research policies.
• Employee policies: Student-faculty relations.
• Academics: Can pressure administration to cancel a course (ex – “How to be Gay,” which they did not cancel – but could have if they so desired).