According to Article 4 of the board’s bylaws, the board’s new chair and vice chair are elected for two-year terms in the January following a trustee election.

The bylaws also dictate the chair and vice chair must belong to different political parties. While the board is non-partisan, trustees who identify as Democrats now hold a 5-2 majority.   Schlichting was appointed in a nonpartisan manner by Gov. Rick Snyder to replace former Trustee George Perles. She was the former CEO of the Henry Ford Health System. 

If a Democrat is elected chair, Trustees Dan Kelly and Melanie Foster, who ran as Republicans, would be eligible for vice chair. Schlichting is also eligible for the position, because she does not have an official party affiliation.

Before Breslin, current Vice Chair Joel Ferguson served as chair for a term. Trustee Melanie Foster also served as vice chair during a previous stint on the board.

Trustee Brian Mosallam, who called a failed vote to fire Interim President John Engler in June, told the Detroit Free Press in November he was considering running for the position. When reached Saturday, Mosallam declined to comment on the upcoming election.

"It is clear to me that the people of Michigan want a board chairperson who will carry the banner of institutional reform while bringing all constituencies — students, employees, survivors, Republicans, Democrats, alumni — back into the fold,” Mosallam told the Free Press in an email statement.

Other trustees could not be reached for comment on the election at the time of publication.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 10:45 a.m. to clarify the eligibility of trustees for the vice chair position.