Eastern Michigan University President Susan Martin falls short of multiple goals in review

Tension that surfaced between Eastern Michigan University's governing board and president last year appears to remain an issue at the Ypsilanti school.

In a fiscal 2011-12 performance review, EMU regents said president Susan Martin fell short of enrollment goals, failed to develop a strategic vision for the school and inconsistently consulted regents prior to making decisions.

"All regents should feel informed and updated on all matters requiring board engagement to their particular level of interest and satisfaction," the October 19, 2012, review states. "Performance in this regard has been inconsistent. Board input on significant policy direction merits more serious attention."

The review was obtained by AnnArbor.com through a Freedom of Information Act request. It was signed by former regentRoy Wilbanks and current regents Francine Parker, Mike Morris and Mike Hawks, who asserted that regents were "sometimes not alerted to major issues affecting the campus" and cited Martin's decision to close satellite campuses without informing regents.

Eastern Michigan regent Francine Parker during a regents meeting.

Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com

Also in the review, the board praised Martin for exceeding fundraising goals and increasing on-campus housing.

The October review came five months after the board's executive committee formally reprimanded Martin in May for getting into an argument with an alumnus and behaving "in a way inappropriate for your position" which "reflected poorly" on EMU. Martin was drinking alcohol prior to the April argument, according to the letter and Martin's admissions afterward. The board threatened to fire Martin if a similar incident ever