Woodruff announces she will not pursue Michigan State's presidency

Michigan State University interim President Teresa Woodruff will not seek the university's presidency on a permanent basis.

Woodruff announced Sunday in a statement on the university’s website that she would not pursue the position, saying: "MSU has a storied history in American higher education, and the next chapter is ready to be written with a new president at the helm."

"As the third interim president of MSU in the last five years, I wish for a period of stability for the university," she said in the statement. "Thus, and to enable that goal, I do not seek the full-time presidency but will support the individual selected for this role as they assume the helm."

MSU's Board of Trustees appointed Woodruff, then the provost, in November as the fifth MSU president at the East Lansing school following the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.

MSU Board of Trustees Chair Rema Vassar in a statement thanked Woodruff for "stepping into the role of interim president and providing resolute leadership these past 10 months."

"We appreciate her hard work on behalf of the university, the students, faculty and staff, our alumni, and the greater Spartan community," Vassar said. "We particularly recognize her steadfast leadership during the violence that our campus experienced in February and her commitment to improved safety since then. We look forward to her support through an upcoming presidential transition period."

It was not immediately clear if Woodruff would return to her post as provost after an MSU president is selected.

Woodruff was hired as MSU's interim leader following an uproar that began in September after the board asked President Samuel Stanley to leave his post early, faculty and students delivered votes of no confidence in the board and Stanley subsequently resigned. Woodruff was endorsed by many faculty and student leaders, believed to be the first time that some in the academic community stood behind a prospective interim president.

As provost, Woodruff earned $562,069 annually. As interim president, she earned an additional monthly administrative increment in the annualized amount of $237,931 for a total of $800,000, according to an agreement signed by Woodruff and then-board chair Dianne Byrum.

Woodruff has been at the center of a controversy during her time as interim president over the departure of former business school dean Sanjay Gupta, a secondary issue for why the university board asked Stanley to depart two years early.

An investigative report conducted by the Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP law firm and released in April found Gupta violated the university's policy by not reporting alleged sexual misconduct at a gala last year, but that personnel actions taken against him for that failure were "disproportionate." The report said Woodruff's treatment of Gupta over the matter ran counter to the university's discipline policy and differed from others who violated the mandatory reporting policy. Gupta resigned as dean amid pressure to do so from Woodruff.

Woodruff is an expert in ovarian biology and reproductive science whose work led to a new branch of medicine known as oncofertility. She is an MSU professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology; and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She was hired two and a half years ago under Stanley. At the time, Stanley said she had "extraordinary academic credentials," a commitment to diversity and inclusion, and voiced an ambitious vision for MSU.

Black MSU professors raised concerns about her handling of underrepresented and marginalized students during her tenure at Northwestern, but MSU trustees approved hiring her.

At the board meeting when Stanley recommended Woodruff be hired as provost, Eunice Foster, then president of MSU's Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators Association, expressed concern. Foster said students at Northwestern had raised red flags about Woodruff's handling of underrepresented and marginalized students.

Two and a half years later, Foster said she changed her mind about Woodruff and has been pleased with her performance. She even told her that publicly during a meeting.

A hope of the BFSAA had was that MSU moved forward in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion, "and that has happened" under Woodruff, said Foster, an MSU professor and crop physiologist.

Woodruff was tasked early in her post with one of the worst moments in MSU's history.

On Feb. 13, a 43-year-old Lansing man opened fire on campus at the student Union and Berkey Hall. Three students died in the shooting: Arielle Anderson, 19, of Harper Woods; Brian Fraser, 20, of Grosse Pointe; and Alexandria Verner, 20, of Clawson. Five students also were critically injured.

Officials said the gunman killed himself as police approached his Lansing home, about four miles from the East Lansing campus.

Since the shooting, the university has focused on hardening the campus with security and safety measures. Woodruff has said the university, which includes about 39,000 students and 560 buildings on its 5,200-acre campus, set aside $8 million for new investments in campus safety initiatives, "which have been developed with extensive campus community input." Crews have also been installing new door locks on all classroom doors.

In April, MSU said it had hired an outside firm to review its response to the shooting. Most of the eight students injured or killed on campus or their families have filed their intent to sue MSU.

In May, the university announced a 29-member committee that will conduct a search for the university's next president, its second search for a leader in less than five years.

The university has said the national search for MSU's 22nd president will have a goal of finding a permanent president by Thanksgiving, if not sooner. The search committee includes a cross-section of the university community, including men's basketball coach Tom Izzo, and other representatives, including a state lawmaker and a Detroit water official that the university said it hopes will "add diverse and well-rounded perspectives."

First-year Trustee Dennis Denno is chairing the search committee and is joined by trustees Brianna Scott, who will serve as vice chair, and Renee Knake Jefferson and Dan Kelly.

kkozlowski@detroitnews.com