Michigan State faculty, student groups slam reported plans to remove President Samuel Stanley Jr., demand better communication

EAST LANSING — Leaders of Michigan State University’s faculty Sunday night expressed "grave" concern over the Board of Trustees' reported plans to oust President Samuel Stanley Jr.

The Detroit Free Press reported on Sunday that the MSU Board of Trustees gave Stanley until Tuesday to resign. If he does not, Stanley could be fired, the story said. As of Monday afternoon, Stanley remained with the university as president. He was hired in May 2019 after serving as president at Stony Brook University.

In response to the Free Press report, the MSU Faculty Senate released a statement Sunday evening questioning the Board of Trustees' reported plans and its lack of communication. Members of the Associated Students of MSU and the Coalition of Racial and Ethnic Minorities at MSU also issued statements Monday in support of Stanley.

“We are gravely concerned about the trustees’ reported intention to oust President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. Despite the institutional trauma Michigan State University has endured in recent years, the Board of Trustees is apparently debating — behind closed doors — forcing out a third president in less than four years. They should know better,” the faculty statement said. “Extraordinary actions require extraordinary justifications. Given our special role in achieving the mission of our university, MSU faculty deserve and demand the transparency the Board of Trustees claims to value.”

The MSU Faculty Senate declined to comment beyond the statement. The Faculty Senate scheduled a special meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the issue.

None of the eight members of the MSU Board of Trustees returned calls or emails requesting comment Monday.

Emily Gerkin Guerrant, vice president for media and public information and MSU spokesperson, on Twitter Monday, denied claims that Stanley was given until Tuesday to resign or face possible termination.

“This is not a factual statement. President Stanley and the MSU Board of Trustees are currently in discussions about his contract. That is it,” she tweeted in response to an Inside Higher Ed tweet saying Stanley would be forced out.

The Sunday reports about Stanley's ouster drew additional criticism from Associated Students of MSU, the university's student government body.

"The culture of decisions being made behind closed doors without the voices of all affected parties is abhorrent," ASMSU said in a statement. "It is a detriment to the community members' trust in this institution, especially students. Many of us came to Michigan State University under a promise of progress, one in which transparency would be key to the rebuilding of trust amongst students, faculty, staff and administration. That promise has been broken continuously with decisions being made on behalf of students without their voices being heard."

The Coalition of Racial and Ethnic Minorities faculty and staff organizations at MSU repeated the Faculty Senate's call for transparency.

"While MSU is not perfect, under the leadership of President Stanley and his administration, MSU has made progress toward a more inclusive campus community," according to a statement from the coalition. "A culture of secrecy and closed doors, where the voices of those who are impacted by such decisions are excluded, cannot be tolerated any longer at MSU. As we welcome a record number of students to campus, it takes vigilance and a continued commitment to keep MSU a welcoming and safe campus. In order to do so, we, in CoREM, are committed to holding MSU and its members accountable to the policies and values we espouse. "

Reports of Stanley’s potential ouster come after Broad College of Business Dean Sanjay Gupta resigned Aug. 12. At the time, officials cited concerns over Gupta’s leadership of the college and his “failure to report under our mandatory reporting policies” as reasons that led to his resignation.

But in a separate Aug. 30 statement, Dan Kelly, a member of the Board of Trustees, said Gupta removal from the position was “implemented by the provost of the university with the support of the president.” Kelly said the statement was sent “on behalf of an overwhelming majority of the board members,” adding that the board had retained outside legal counsel to review decisions that led to Gupta’s departure.

The university came under fire following Gupta’s removal. In an Aug. 19 letter addressed to the Board of Trustees, 21 senior professors in the Broad College of Business challenged claims that Gupta failed to meet mandatory reporting requirements and called on MSU to initiate an independent internal investigation.

Sources also told the Free Press that there are other related issues involving the handling of internal investigations and reporting requirements at MSU’s Office of Institutional Equity and the Relationship Violence & Sexual Misconduct office.

Board Chairperson Dianne Byrum publicly reviewed the result of Stanley’s performance review about a year ago, explaining that the board was “grateful” to have Stanley leading MSU.

“If the trustees’ view of the president has shifted so drastically since, we should know why,” the faculty senate wrote in the statement.

The Board of Trustees met Friday and approved the appointment of Judith Whipple, interim associate dean for faculty and doctoral programs in the College of Business, to serve as interim dean by a 5-2 vote. Trustees Dan Kelly and Pat O’Keefe, both Republicans, voted against the appointment, and Trustee Rema Vassar, a Democrat, abstained.

Kelly and O’Keefe both wanted to see the investigation completed before appointing someone to the position, even on an interim basis.

Additionally, Eric Scorsone, who served as the secretary and chief of staff for the Board of Trustees, left his position Sept. 9, according to Dan Olsen, university spokesperson. Scorsone has returned to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources as a faculty member.

Scorsone first became secretary and chief of staff on Feb. 1, replacing Brian Quinn. The secretary position serves as the liaison between the Board of Trustees and university administration. Scorsone could not immediately be reached for comment.

The handling of sexual misconduct cases is what led to the prior two presidents at MSU being forced out.

Lou Anna Simon was forced to leave MSU in January 2018 during the Larry Nassar sex assault scandal. John Engler was appointed as her interim replacement, but resigned after criticism of his handling of the Nassar fallout.

Contact Mark Johnson at 517-377-1026 or majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.