MSU Board chairwoman backs Stanley, addressesfellow board members
Michigan State University Board Chairwoman Dianne Byrum chastised her fellow board members Monday, confirming some of them are trying to push out President Samuel Stanley, a move she deemed unfair.
The statement came one day after the Free Press reported board members told Stanley he needed to announce by Tuesday he was stepping down from his position.
"In recent days, some members of the MSU Board of Trustees, for which I serve as chairperson, have created confusion over the future of our university’s president. These actions do not represent how the board of an institution of higher education should act," she said. "MSU President Samuel Stanley has led our university through many challenges in recent years and attempts to remove him from his post before his contract is complete are misguided.
"I am disappointed in the behavior of some members of the board which threatens to roll back the progress MSU has made and will continue to make. ... It is my belief these board members should apologize, reverse course and refocus on their proper role as Trustees of this amazing institution."
Byrum's statement was the first public statement by any board member on the issue.
Fellow board member and vice chair Dan Kelly issued a statement after Byrum, denying that he and Byrum had delivered an ultimatum to Stanley.
"Contrary to recent media reports, at no time was the President threatened with termination or given an ultimatum regarding his employment," Kelly said. "The Board has made no decision regarding any change in President Stanley’s employment status nor his employment contract."
Kelly's statement did not issue any support for Stanley remaining president.
On Sunday, MSU spokeswoman Emily Gerkin Guerrant said the board and Stanley were having conversations about his contract, which ends in 2024. He makes more than $950,000 a year in salary.
Multiple sources inside the school's administration told the Free Press the board members who want Stanley removed are focused on two main issues -- the university's pushing out of business school dean Sanjay Gupta over claims he did not follow mandatory reporting rules regarding sexual misconduct complaints, and other related Title IX issues.
An outside law firm, Los Angeles-based Quinn Emanuel, has been hired to investigate Stanley's actions.
More:Sources: MSU board gives school president until Tuesday to agree to step down
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At Friday's public board meeting, Kelly said he hoped that investigation would be wrapped up quickly.
Stanley came to MSU in 2019 after the two previous presidents had been pushed out for their handling of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal and its fallout. In each of those cases, the board fought among itself for weeks over those presidents' fates before finally deciding to push them out.
Reports of board member pressure on Stanley came as a shock to many at MSU, including faculty leaders, who said in a statement that the board should be transparent about its reasons for doing so.
"Extraordinary actions require extraordinary justifications," Karen Kelly-Blake, MSU Faculty Senate chairwoman, and Stephanie Anthony, MSU Faculty Senate vice chairwoman, wrote. "Less than a year ago, Board Chairperson Dianne Byrum announced the results of President Stanley’s performance review, saying that the trustees were 'grateful to have Sam Stanley leading this institution' and deeming his conduct worthy of a nearly $1 million salary. If the trustees’ view of the president has shifted so drastically since, we should know why.
"As the chairperson and vice chairperson of the Faculty Senate and the Steering Committee, we commit to pursuing the truth through all available channels, and we insist that the Board of Trustees communicate with faculty leadership in a deliberative and substantive way before any decisions are made."
Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MSU Board chairwoman backs Stanley, attacks fellow board members
