(Source: MIRS.news, Published 02/28/2024) A law firm tasked with investigating allegations against Michigan State University’s (MSU) Board of Trustees concluded that the Governor should consider removing Chair Rema Vassar and her ally on the board, Trustee Dennis Denno.
A third, Trustee Brianna Scott, was recommended for censure for publicly disclosing her issues with Vassar.
The report from Miller & Chevalier comes after the firm was hired to look into violations of the MSU Board's bylaws, Code of Ethics and Conflict of Interest policy as the eight-member board engaged in an internal power struggle over the university's presidency and overall direction.
Dating back to last year, Vassar, Denno, Trustee Sandy Pierce and Trustee Dan Kelly were not comfortable retaining interim President Teresa Woodruff following the resignation of former President Samuel Stanley due to her role in the controversial dismissal of former business school dean Sanjay GUPTA.
However, Scott and Trustees Dianne Byrum, Renee Knake Jefferson and Kelly Tebay were willing to give Woodruff a shot, particularly after the leadership she showed following last year's on-campus shooting.
The 66-page report is, at its core, an investigation into how the trustees maneuvered during this contentious period and the degree to which Vassar, Denno and Scott, in the law firm's view, didn't adherre to the strict rules Board members must follow.
Scott's public accusations in October that Vassar overstepped her authority and bullied Woodruff got the ball rolling on the Miller & Chevalier investigation, which concluded that some, but not all, of her charges had merit. Investigators did find Vassar retaliated against others and launched personal attacks against two others, including Woodruff.
“The findings outlined in the report are concerning,” said Stacey LaRouche, the Governor's press secretary. “It was an important step forward for the Board of Trustees to commission these investigations to give students, staff, and alumni the transparency they deserve . . . We will continue to monitor this situation closely.”
Messages seeking comment from Vassar, the university’s first Black woman to chair the board, and Denno were not returned.
At the time, Vassar disputed Scott’s allegations, calling them “fabrications, misstatements, innuendo and untruths.” She levied allegations of her own, questioning Trustees’ relationships with donors and elected officials as well as accusations that Trustees used their position for self-promotion.
Miller & Chevalier’s investigation, however, found Vassar and Denno “participated in a meeting with students in which they provided . . . confidential and inaccurate information that was not in MSU’s interest to provide” in violation of the ethics code, and they encouraged student actions “intended to embarrass and unsettle” Woodruff.
“I believe it corroborated much of what I alleged and more,” Scott told MIRS about the report. “There were many things that came out of this report that are quite upsetting to me, especially the manipulation of our young people by Trustees for personal gain.
“I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept a censure from the Board, as I believe it is appropriate for the Board to act on this Report,” she added. “It is my hope that Trustees Vassar and Denno also accept responsibility for their actions and step down from their respective chair positions and ultimately the Board, so as not to force the Governor to use taxpayer money to remove them . . . which would only further tarnish their reputations and that of MSU.”
In a statement, Dan Kelly, Board of Trustees vice chair and Committee on Audit, Risk and Compliance chair, said the Board “is reviewing the findings carefully.”
“The board takes our responsibility and governance seriously and is committed to upholding our code of ethics,” Kelly noted. “The university has no additional comments on the report at this time.”
The report also noted that Vassar and Denno encouraged “a campaign of personal attacks against Dr. Jack Lipton,” who called for Vassar’s resignation.
The report also corroborated allegations that Vassar participated in at least one settlement negotiation with Gupta without the board’s knowledge and that she independently met with the Attorney General’s office, which resulted in the release of Larry Nassar documents the university previously withheld.
In addition, the report substantiated that Vassar accepted courtside seat tickets on two occasions, which violates the Code of Ethics and Trustee Conflict of Interest Policy.
Denno, the report noted, also attempted to exert influence over Security Risk Management LLC to revise its report related to the Feb. 13, 2023, fatal shooting at the university.
Denno was also flagged with working with a former congressional candidate and former legislator in Detroit to get the ball rolling on a Detroit-Michigan State University venture that ended up falling apart. The report found Denno was involving himself too deeply in administrative matters.
Behind the scenes, each side of this internal power struggle apparently believed the other was working to sabotage them – whether it was bringing in new President Kevin Guskiewicz, the entire presidential search process, the public outing of the Title IX allegations against former football coach Mel Tucker, the perceived golden parachute Woodruff is receiving on her way out the door, and numerous other questions about contracts received by Trustees and their friends.
The struggle goes well beyond party lines, as Kelly is the only Republican on the board. The remaining seven are Democrats.
