of the university is the Board of Control, established by the Michigan Constitution and by statute consisting of eight members appointed by the Governor of Michigan for eight-year terms. The university is considered a political subdivision of the state government and, thus, is exempt from federal income tax.
== Athletics ==
The Saginaw Valley State University fields 18 varsity teams at the NCAA Division II level as members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The Cardinals compete in the following sports:
The Junior Varsity football program dates to 1974; Varsity football started in 1975, as did the marching band. The school song is "Cardinal Fight", written by Thomas Root.
The Men's Ice Hockey team won consecutive national championships in 2009 and 2010.
== Student newspaper ==
The Saginaw Valley Journal is the unofficial campus newspaper of Saginaw Valley State University. It is one of the few for-profit campus newspapers in the United States. The Journal was first published …
