Background

In 2022, MSU said Gupta failed to report an assistant dean for non-consensually touching and harassing students while “too drunk” at an end-of-year gala for Broad’s MBA students. Although Gupta was not at the event, he was told about the misconduct by two administrators and did not report it. 

At a meeting with then-provost Woodruff in August 2022, Gupta was asked to resign as dean of the college. In a letter to the MSU Board of Trustees, Woodruff said Gupta’s decision to not inquire further about the misconduct and failure to report it formed a "constellation of factors and evidence that could not be ignored."

Following his dismissal, Gupta sued Woodruff and six other administrators, alleging they violated his due process rights and defamed him in a "power scheme" to ensure Gupta wouldn’t be named successor to former President Samuel Stanley Jr. and to make Woodruff a more appealing candidate for the presidency.

A subsequent independent investigation into Gupta’s removal found no evidence that Woodruff — who later became interim president of MSU — forced Gupta out to better position herself for becoming MSU president. However, the report also stated that Gupta only violated MSU policy by failing to report, to which Woodruff responded by claiming her standards for deans are higher than what’s mandated in the policy.

As part of the new settlement, Gupta is also being given an endowed professorship in the business college, the title of dean emeritus — which he was not granted following his initial removal — and is being reimbursed for legal fees accrued during the lawsuit, according to The Detroit News. 

Gupta was not able to be reached for comment before publication.

Green and White Council

Gupta is being tapped to lead the president’s "Green and White Council" alongside former Bank of America executive and MSU alumnus Matt Elliott. Elliott graduated from MSU in 1989 with a bachelor’s in finance and currently chairs the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator and sits on the board of the Detroit Economic Club.

The council, initially unveiled during Guskiewicz’s investiture speech last September, is meant to help MSU prepare its students to adequately "meet current workforce demands" in Michigan while ensuring more graduates continue their careers in the state. The council is also concerned with identifying emerging needs across industries to ensure MSU is part of Michigan’s economic future.

Although MSU has not announced the other members of the council, Guskiewicz expressed confidence in the group’s potential to "expand Michigan State’s role as one of the state’s leading talent activators," in a press release.