By Steve Neavling

Copyright metrotimes

Kimberly Espy is out as president of Wayne State University, but the turmoil she left behind at the School of Medicine is far from over.

Espy’s resignation came after the university’s Board of Governors moved to force her out over growing concerns about her leadership, including the heavily criticized suspension of longtime dean Dr. Wael Sakr. The move has alarmed faculty and students at the medical school, where tuition has been rising, and Arab and pro-Palestinian groups are questioning whether bias played a role in the decision.

Sakr, a Syrian Arab American physician and pathologist, has spent more than three decades at Wayne State and is widely credited with helping restore the medical school’s accreditation.

Now the state’s largest medical school has no permanent academic leader, who is responsible for accreditation, curriculum, research direction, and clinical partnerships.

Sakr remains on paid leave with no public explanation, and Dr. David Rosenberg, who was briefly appointed acting dean, resigned last week after acknowledging he had been installed without proper faculty consultation. The leadership vacuum comes at a critical time for the School of Medicine, which is responsible for training thousands of future doctors while maintaining clinical partnerships, federal research funding, and residency placements. It’s one of the largest medical schools in the country.

Faculty and students say the damage has already been done. In a Sept. 10 memorandum to Espy, more than 300 faculty and staff demanded Sakr’s reinstatement unless allegations against him are substantiated.

“We urge you to ensure that Dr. Sakr receives a fair and impartial due process,” the memo said, adding that his removal without explanation “runs counter to the principle of shared governance that is essential to our university’s integrity and values.”

The letter praised Sakr’s record, pointing to his role in securing an eight-year accreditation for the medical school in 2015, achieving a 98-100% residency match rate for graduating students, and serving as principal investigator on an $8 million National Institute of Health grant to build a state-of-the-art technology center in Detroit.

“Our confidence is also grounded in Dean Sakr’s distinguished 35-year career at our institution, where he has served as a pathologist, educator, researcher, department chair, and SOM Dean,” the letter said. “Throughout his tenure, many of us have witnessed his professionalism, integrity, and collegiality in his interactions with faculty, staff, and students.”

In a brief email to the School of Medicine faculty and staff on Aug. 15, Bernard J. Costello, senior vice president for health affairs, announced that Sakr “is currently on paid leave,” and employees should “refrain from contacting him during this leave.” He said Sakr would be replaced by Rosenberg, chair of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences.

Espy’s handling of the dean’s suspension was a significant reason that the university’s Board of Governors said last week that it had lost faith in the president.

The suspension comes at a sensitive time for the School of Medicine, where its accreditation had long been a serious issue before coming to a head in 2015, when the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) placed the school on probation after citing 12 violations, including lack of student diversity, problems with teaching methods, and a failure to properly monitor student activities. The designation raised questions about the school’s stability and risked its standing with prospective students and faculty.

Wayne State spent years working to correct those problems under the leadership of Sakr, and in 2017 the school secured full accreditation through the 2022-23 academic year. In November 2023, the LCME extended that through the 2030-31 academic year. At the time, Espy praised Sakr’s leadership.

“I congratulate everyone involved with this significant accomplishment, and commend Dean Wael Sakr for his leadership,” she said in a university release. “Accreditation for the full eight years through 2031 is strong validation of the outstanding work of our faculty, students and staff in our School of Medicine.”

That praise makes her decision to sideline Sakr without explanation even more puzzling to faculty and students. Sakr has told colleagues that the allegations against him do not involve sexual harassment, financial mismanagement, or racial discrimination. But without details from the administration, his supporters say his reputation — and the school’s stability — are at risk.

For critics, Espy’s exit solves only part of the problem. They argue the damage to the medical school will linger until Sakr is either cleared or reinstated.

In interviews with Metro Times, students and faculty members described Sakr as knowledgeable, dedicated, and professional.

Dr. Avraham Raz, who represents the School of Medicine in the faculty academic union, says that renaming the dean and naming an interim replacement should have gone through him and the medical school’s faculty executive committee, amounting to a violation of the union contract.

“Any appointment for leadership at the School of Medicine is supposed to come for consultation and referral to this community,” Raz tells Metro Times. “The Wayne State administration has breached the collective bargaining agreement.”

He adds that the suspension was “extremely unbecoming,” saying students and faculty “are still in the dark” over this “inappropriate decision.”

Nashat Imran, professor of internal medicine and nephrology at WSU’s School of Medicine, says the dean’s suspension could have a lasting impact on the school.

“The lack of certainty causes confusion, almost paralysis,” Imran tells Metro Times. “Imagine you’re new faculty and you want to work at Wayne State, and you see all of this drama. Why would they want to get involved?”

Imran describes Sakr as “very professional, very cordial,” and he “treated everybody with dignity and respect, had an open-door policy, and never had any bias.”

“He’s a guy whose character was amplified in a good way as a dean,” Al Achkra says. “He was always a good guy to work with.”

Thomas Pedroni, an associate professor of curriculum studies and policy sociology in WSU’s College of Education, says Espy chose corporate interests over students, especially pro-Palestinians.

“President Espy taught us that a corporate style university leader needn’t see her students only as customers,” Pedroni said in a written statement to Metro Times. “She also taught us to see students as legitimate targets for police abuse; as voices to be selectively repressed; and as potential enemies of her primary constituency — donors. She helped open the university’s doors to the corporate sector while closing the door on the Detroit community and the interests of the general public that elects our board of governors. “

Students who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation tell Metro Times they are angry and baffled by the dean’s suspension and the subsequent secrecy.

For many students, Sakr was more than an administrator. His presence as dean gave Arab students a sense of pride at a university where they often feel marginalized.

In a statement, Medical Students for Justice in Palestine said Sakr’s suspension was carried out without consultation and left the community demoralized and confused. They called the decision “reckless” and argued it undermined both the medical school’s integrity and the rights of Arab, Muslim, Black, and brown students who had already felt marginalized under Espy’s administration.

“Decades of achievement and dedication can be dismissed in an instant,” the students’ statement said, calling on the campus community to stand with Sakr.

Espy has been heavily criticized for her treatment of the peaceful pro-Palestinian movement on campus. She oversaw the brutal crackdown of a pro-Palestinian encampment in May 2024 and refused to meet with supporters of Gaza, and university police have repeatedly broken up peaceful protests.

In June, a group of pro-Palestinians, including students, graduates, and a parent, filed a federal lawsuit against the university, claiming the school violated protesters’ constitutional rights.

Morhaf Al Achkar, a professor at the School of Medicine, says Sakr was a major reason students of color felt included.

“People who know him speak highly of his skills, including Black and Arab faculty,” Al Achkar tells Metro Times. “We got the highest number of diverse students, especially Arab students. It has opened up horizons of opportunities. It shows you can become a leader in the future. It shook the trust and confidence of the Arab community.”

Nuzmeya Abdrabboh, president of the Wayne State’s Students for Justice in Palestine, says she’s relieved Espy resigned after making Arab and pro-Palestinian students feel unwanted and unheard on campus.

She says Espy’s decision to suspend Sakr “is disheartening to hear, but it wasn’t surprising.”

“Espy has displayed again and again that she doesn’t care about pro-Palestinian students, never mind Muslims and Arabs,” Abdrabboh tells Metro Times. “She chose to violate his union contract. It showed her character because she thought she could get away with whatever she wanted, and finally the Board of Governors put a stop to it.”

Abdrabboh emphasizes that the Board of Governors must hire a president who is accommodating, approachable, and open to divestment.

“We’re extremely grateful that the Board of Governors took into account Espy’s reign of suppression on campus,” Abdrabboh says. “She didn’t have any intention of standing with students, and she showed a willingness to trample on our civil rights.”

Espy officially became president of WSU in August 2023. She signed a five-year deal worth more than $1 million annually, including her $690,000 salary and other benefits.