You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
Birgit Puschner, dean of Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, announced her resignation Monday, effective March 31, citing institutional failures in sexual misconduct investigations and a lack of accountability for alleged perpetrators, according to The Detroit News.
“After years of all-consuming work, I came to the conclusion that I cannot, in good conscience, continue in my current role as Dean,” Puschner wrote in an email to the veterinary college community. “The lack of success in holding individuals accountable for the hurt they have caused to others troubles me and crosses the boundaries of my professional ethics and personal integrity and morals. MSU needs rapid and sustained progress in this regard to minimize any future harm to individuals, and to retain talent.”
Puschner added that she will return to the faculty ranks.
The resignation comes as Michigan State remains embroiled in controversy related to sexual misconduct and Title IX issues. Former president Dr. Samuel Stanley Jr. was pushed out by the Board of Trustees last year over allegations that he mishandled Title IX issues, making him the third president to be toppled by the issue, which dates back to the case of Michigan State doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually abused hundreds of women over multiple years under the guise of medical treatment.
MSU is also being sued by former business dean Sanjay Gupta, who was pushed out of his role last year for allegedly failing to report an instance of an employee touching a student inappropriately, a matter that remains under investigation.
