The dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, Dr. Wael Sakr, will return to his administrative post Monday after being placed on paid leave for more than a month.
The university administration did not publicly provide a clear reason for why Sakr was placed on leave.
Dr. Bernard Costello, Wayne State's senior vice president of health affairs, announced Sakr's return in an email to medical students and faculty Thursday afternoon.
In the email, Costello thanked the medical school community for “continued professionalism and dedication to the School of Medicine”
“We look forward to moving forward in our shared commitment to serving the community as a national leader in medical education, discovery, and healthcare,” the email read.
Medical students and faculty were “pleased” that Sakr will resume his post, said Wayne Academic Union President Jennifer Moss.
"There was so much collective action by the faculty of the School of Medicine as well as the union,” Moss told Michigan Public. “And then the student senate also issued a statement that the dean of the medical school should be restored to his position, and it worked.”
Sakr’s reinstatement follows turmoil in WSU’s upper leadership. Dr. David Rosenberg, who served as the medical school’s interim dean, resigned that position nearly two weeks ago. Rosenberg took issue with how he was appointed to the role, he wrote in an email to medical faculty.
Days later, Wayne State's then-president, Kimberly Espy, who placed Sakr on administrative leave, resigned.
Moss said she hopes Sakr’s reinstatement is a step forward, away from the turbulence in upper leadership. “I think everybody is hopeful that we can move forward from this and kind of go back to being who we are,” Moss said.
Shirley Stancato, who chairs the Wayne State University Board of Governors, wrote in a Friday email to the campus community that the board is beginning the search for a new president.
“In the coming weeks, we will retain the services of a search firm specializing in higher education and schedule opportunities to hear from our campus community about the qualities they’d like to see in our next president,” Stancato wrote.
