Wayne State University’s new president, Richard Bierschbach, said that when he sits down for lunch with students, they pour out their hopes and dreams to him.
“I can identify with it,” he said. “My parents grew up on farms. My mom’s a first-generation American. My dad didn’t have the chance to go to college. Public education was completely transformative for me and I hear their stories and they remind me of that and why I’m here.”
Public education took Bierschbach from a small town in west Michigan to the top of his class at the University of Michigan Law School and a clerkship for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
The former dean of Wayne State’s Law School, who has been serving as interim president since September, Bierschbach was formally named the school’s 14th president at a special meeting of the Board of Governors on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
Shirley Stancato, immediate past chair of the board, made the formal introduction, saying that during the search process, stakeholders across the university sought a leader who understood Wayne State’s place in the Michigan educational landscape.
“It became apparent to the board that President Bierschbach possessed the exceptional leadership skills, characteristics and commitment to Detroit and the university’s urban mission that our community wanted and needed in its next president,” she said.
Bierschbach sat poker-faced with his hands folded in front of him as Stancato read a lengthy resolution touting his accomplishments. When the vote was unanimous — minus board chair Bryan Barnhill, who was absent — a broad smile crossed Bierschbach’s face.
“I’m incredibly grateful for your confidence and for the opportunity to serve as 14th president of Wayne State University,” Bierschbach said. “I really appreciate your trust and your partnership and especially your commitment to Wayne State and its mission.”
Bierschbach stressed Wayne State’s mission throughout his remarks.
“Our mission is the mission of the public, urban research,” he said. “We open doors. We advance knowledge. We create opportunities. … We’re a top-flight urban research institution and our strength lies in who we welcome here.”
Bierschbach stepped in as interim president in September, replacing former President Kimberly Espy, who resigned a little more than two years into her tenure.
Bierschbach earned a history degree at the University of Michigan as well as a Juris Doctor from U-M Law School, where he graduated first in his class, according to his biography.
Bierschbach takes over a university that has seen its enrollment grow slightly in recent years, with the fall 2025 enrollment class topping 24,000. But he also becomes the school’s third president in less than three years.
Espy resigned, citing personal reasons, but she had drawn the ire of some faculty and students who considered her aloof and unwilling to engage with them.
Espy replaced Roy Wilson, who served 10 years as president, though not without controversy. In 2019, four members of the Board of Governors voted to fire Wilson, though the vote failed because the meeting at which it was held lacked a quorum to conduct business. He stepped down when his contract expired in 2023.
Bierschbach also faces broader challenges that all higher education institutions face, including federal changes related to the overhead expenses that research universities can charge to federal grants.
The Trump administration has also targeted the use of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education, threatening to withhold funding for schools that continue them.
Bierschbach’s appointment drew praise from Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber.
“Continuity and stability are key attributes needed at this critical moment in Michigan’s higher education system,” Baruah said in a statement. “Additionally, and importantly, Richard is not just fully committed, but fully engaged, in the work Wayne State has led in dramatically improving student performance and outcomes as well as the work led by (the) Chamber to accelerate the innovation economy in the Detroit Region.”
(This story has been updated with additional information.)
Contact John Wisely: jwisely@freepress.com. On X: @jwisely
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wayne State names Richard Bierschbach its 14th president
Reporting by John Wisely, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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