Michigan State University’s (MSU) Faculty Senate approved a vote of no confidence 55-4 against the school's Board of Trustees, the Lansing State Journal and other media outlets reported on Wednesday. 
The vote comes after the Faculty Senate sent a letter to the board last week, calling for an end to the board’s interference with academic management in regards to an investigation into the forced resignation of business dean Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The board had hired an outside firm to investigate.
The vote is symbolic, given that the Faculty Senate has no role in appointing trustees.
“Members of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees have compounded their intransigence, intimidating faculty administrators through a retained law firm investigating the resignation of Sanjay Gupta which is both outside of the Board’s administrative purview and a violation of their Code of Ethics,” according to the vote of no confidence resolution.
A growing number of faculty is supporting MSU's president Dr. Samuel Stanley Jr. after a reported push by some trustees to have Stanley ousted. Stanley – under fire for his handling of Title IX reports – has been offered the option to retire early before his contract ends in 2024.
23 faculty from MSU’s Eli Broad College of Business sent a letter signaling support for the board’s efforts to investigate Gupta’s departure.
