Michigan State University (MSU) has been roiled by conflict between its board of trustees and its faculty, students, and president in recent weeks.
Faculty were outraged after the board hired an outside law firm to investigate the forced resignation of Eli Broad College of Business dean Sanjay Gupta for not reporting an allegation of sexual misconduct, arguing that the matter was not in the board’s purview. Angered by the Gupta dismissal and alleging that he botched a mandatory Title IX reporting process, board members offered university president Samuel Stanley Jr. an early retirement, further provoking the faculty. The faculty senate passed a vote of no confidence against the board on October 11th, matching one by the Associated Students of MSU. On October 13th, Stanley Jr. resigned, saying in a video message that he had “lost confidence” in the board and could no longer serve it. He is MSU’s third president in four years to leave early.
Experts on university governance found the situation perplexing. 
Dr. Raquel Rall
“It doesn’t make any sense,” said Dr. Raquel Rall, an associate professor of education policy analysis and leadership at the University of California, Riverside. “Even if there was a mistake, I don’t see how they would say, ‘OK, we’re getting rid of a president.’ There must be something else that we’re not privy to.”
Rall thought that the influence of past scandals, including that of Larry Nassar, the MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor who was accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of athletes, could be playing a role for the board.
“I think there's a heightened awareness that if they don't keep an eye on things or make sure that things are running the way they should, folks are going to be looking at the board more and more,” she said.
