Friction is growing within one of Michigan State University’s most touted colleges as faculty are split on the dean’s leadership style.
Late last month, the College of Education's Faculty Advisory Committee adopted a no-confidence resolution against Dean Jerlando Jackson, who has led the college since July 2022.
Some faculty members said they feel Jackson has not properly supported them through sweeping universitywide budget cuts and have additional concerns about his lack of presence in the college.
Other faculty members have questioned the timing of the vote and the vote-holding process. They have also attributed Jackson’s unpopularity to a difference in leadership styles.
It's a pivotal year for the dean as the provost’s office conducts Jackson's five-year review, according to documents obtained by The State News.
The State News spoke to employees within the College of Education on the condition of anonymity.
The vote
The committee sent out the no-confidence vote on Sept. 18, in which eligible faculty were asked to vote on the dean of the college by Sept. 23, according to documents obtained by The State News.
The resolution says the call for the vote is “based on concerns regarding leadership, accountability, engagement in consequential decision-making and the absence of a clearly articulated vision and priorities to guide the College.”
A vote of no confidence was adopted for Jackson, with 62% of the vote. 20% voted not to adopt the resolution and 18% abstained.
There was also a resolution of no confidence brought to vote for the college's chief of staff. In the vote’s findings, CFAC Chair Rebecca Jacobsen wrote the committee would not share vote results regarding the Chief of Staff “based upon advice from the university.”
When asked for comment, Jacobsen referred to the college’s spokesperson, who then referred The State News to MSU's communications team.
Spokesperson Amber McCann shared the following statement on behalf of Provost Laura Lee McIntyre’s office:
“We are aware of the faculty vote and respect the role faculty governance plays within the university. The university relies on an established process for evaluating academic leadership and performance. It is through that process that feedback will be reviewed. Out of respect for our faculty and staff, the university does not disclose specific details regarding personnel matters and will maintain appropriate confidentiality around the process. The College of Education remains fully focused on its mission of teaching, research, and service that has helped prepare generations of educators and academic leaders in the field of education.”
Faculty grievances: 'opposite of Kevin Guskiewicz'
College leaders, like Jackson, were tasked with slashing 6% of their budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, and another 3% for the current fiscal year as part of the university’s 2025 across-the-board 9% budget cuts.
As a result, four College of Education PhD programs and one master's program were put on pause.
One tenure-stream faculty member familiar with Jackson’s budget reduction committee called it a “total sham.”
Jackson didn’t partner with departments to evaluate resources, as the tenure-stream faculty member told The State News: “He didn't go fight for the resources to do that. He did not fight for us.”
“These cuts weren’t temporary, it’s forever,” said another faculty member within the College of Education, saying the manner in which these decisions were made was “impersonal.”
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“This dean is, like, suck it up. Cut back,” the faculty member said.
Others also said Jackson is rarely available in the building to lead efficiently.
As one faculty member put it: “He's like the opposite of Kevin Guskiewicz, who's like everywhere all at once.”
The faculty member added Jackson is not present around the college and “never” comes to department meetings.
“Sometimes he doesn't even come to the whole meeting that he himself organized,” they said.
When the resolution's findings were made public among the college, Jackson sent faculty an email broadly defending his leadership.
Jackson wrote he had not “received specific allegations, examples or supporting materials associated with the resolutions.” He later acknowledged, “communication has not always been as timely, consistent or clear as members of our community needed it to be.”
But some saw his response to “blast out a bunch of emails” as “a horrible response and not what we need,” according to the tenure-stream faculty member.
“It's like he sees himself as this authoritarian overlord or something,” they continued. “We (faculty) are just supposed to run around and make things happen.”
The State News gave Jackson an opportunity to comment on all complaints and criticisms against. Jackson responded with the following statement:
“Over the past four years, the College of Education has made significant progress despite substantial financial and institutional challenges. I am proud of our collective accomplishments and believe leadership should be assessed in the context of the College’s full record, including the difficult decisions required to secure its future. I remain committed to the College’s continued success and to the students and communities we serve.”
In 2024, MSU exonerated Jackson following accusations of plagiarism by The Washington Free Beacon, a right-leaning publication, which has reported extensively on allegations of academic misconduct by Black scholars. All faculty The State News spoke to said that these allegations did not influence the no-confidence vote.
‘Out of left field’
Professor Gerardo López, who works in the Department of Educational Administration, was dubious about how the vote was conducted.
“There was no discussion about this,” López said. “It seemed to come out of left field.”
López questioned the motives behind the no-confidence vote, saying Jackson has “done what he needs to do.”
“Is it a personality thing? You don't like him? Or is it that you just don't like his leadership style? What is it?” López said.
A CFAC email sent after the vote addressed questions raised between the time voting opened and when it closed — including the vote-calling process.
In the email obtained by The State News, CFAC Chair Jacobsen wrote the committee “has the right to call such a vote" because the group's bylaws “do not present a process for a vote of no confidence."
She clarified the meeting minutes from their September meeting wouldn’t be made public until the committee’s Oct. 15 meeting.
The State News had five College of Education employees reach out the morning after the request-for-comment email was sent to Jackson. Broadly, they were not in support of the process taken to hold the vote.
One member of senior leadership within the college said, “the timing of the vote makes this quite suspicious.”
Considering the overlap between the vote and the five-year review, a member of senior leadership suggested this was done to make Jackson “rethink” going through a five-year review or his position as dean.
“I would argue that some would say he hasn't been doing the job, but I think there's space to say he just hasn't done the job in the way that they thought he should do it,” the member of senior leadership said. “But it doesn't mean he hasn't done the job.”
MSU has prided itself on the College of Education and its national rankings. The College of Education Elementary Teacher Education Program has ranked number one for 32 straight years by U.S. News and World Report.
It is also number one in secondary teacher education, as well as in curriculum and instruction.
But this is now being tested, one faculty member within the college said.
“I think that there's kind of a consensus that there's only a matter of time until we fall from that ranking,” they said.
