EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Michigan State University’s Interim President shared a statement Monday, after being accused of overreacting when she demanded a dean’s resignation.
Her response is part of an ongoing controversy at MSU following then-provost, now Interim President Teresa Woodruff, after she accused former Broad College of Business Dean Sanjay Gupta of multiple violations.
But according to an independent investigation, Woodruff was heavy-handed.
Woodruff asked Gupta to resign after determining he failed to report an alleged sexual misconduct case, as required by school policy.
The report said “disproportionate” discipline was taken against the former business school dean, with Woodruff accusing Gupta of five allegations.
While the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP found he only violated just one, the mandatory reporting protocol.
This comes after Gupta filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming he was pressured into resigning, adding that the effort was part of a scheme designed to prevent him from becoming the next president of MSU.
According to the report, it did not show “definitive evidence either supporting or disproving” that Woodruff was trying to bar him as a university presidential candidate.
6 News reached out to the university’s administration for comment and was given a statement from the interim president.
“The board and the administration share a commitment to the health, safety and well-being of all who are part of our Spartan Community. I, along with others in the administration, have received a copy of the report, and we intend to review it in detail. My commitment to doing what is right and focusing on the long-term success and stability of our institution remains unchanged,” Woodruff said.
6 News also reached out to the Board of Trustees for comment and spoke with Chair Rema Vassar.
She said the board will not be not commenting on the report’s findings but assured that the investigation was released to the public as soon as they were able to do so.
