Wayne State University’s Board of Governors has called a special meeting for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, to discuss “leadership transitions already underway” amid media reports that President Kimberly Espy is stepping down.
Two school officials declined to confirm Espy’s resignation and board members did not return messages seeking comment.
The school sent out a notice about Wednesday’s meeting in the late afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Last week, the board abruptly canceled its Sept. 12 meeting with no explanation. It also hired an outside spokesman, Peter Van Dyke, to handle media inquiries about it.
“Due to HR confidentiality policy, the board cannot comment on President Espy’s employment,” Van Dyke said in an email last week.
He added that the board held a retreat a week earlier “which resulted in a number of considerations that they needed more time to digest before the next board meeting.”
Espy took over the presidency in August 2023 and she’s faced criticism for the way she’s handled Gaza War protesters on campus and other issues.
She’s also been under fire for the treatment of the dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Wael Sakr, who was placed on administrative leave last month with no explanation.
Dr. David Rosenberg was named interim dean when Sakr was suspended, but over the weekend he gave up that post, saying faculty members hadn’t been included in the decision to appoint him, as is the norm.
Rosenberg said in a resignation letter that he counted Sakr as a friend and close colleague for years and always knew Sakr to be “a man of good character.”
Sakr has been at Wayne for more than 30 years and almost 200 faculty members have signed a letter decrying his treatment, said Jenni Sheridan Moss, president of the Wayne Academic Union, which represents about 1,600 faculty and academic members on campus.
She said the faculty has not conducted a vote of no confidence in Espy, but that the relationship was clearly strained. Moss said Espy did not interact with faculty in the way her predecessors had. She’d come to meetings, give a brief talk and leave.
Moss said she’s only had one meeting with Espy during her tenure, where union presidents and school presidents have met frequently. Moss said a resignation from Espy would cause more instability at the university at a time when it needs strong leadership.
“It’s just unfortunate because now they’re going to have to do another presidential search, and that’s like a million dollars,” she said. “I really hope that this time the board listens to the people who work in the university, which they clearly didn’t do last time.”
Espy replaced M. Roy Wilson, who also had a rocky relationship with the Board of Governors. Four board members voted to fire him, in 2019, but the vote was not considered legally binding. He stepped down when his contract expired in 2023.
Contact John Wisely: jwisely@freepress.com. On X: @jwisely
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wayne State board calls meeting to discuss ‘leadership transitions already underway’
Reporting by John Wisely, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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