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Richard A. Bierschbach (WSU photo)
The Wayne State Board of Governors is expected Tuesday to name interim President Richard Bierschbach to the permanent position, Kim Kozlowski of Bridge Michigan reports.
Bierschbach, 53, joined WSU in 2017 as dean of the law school after serving as vice chair and professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York.
He was named interim president in September following the resignation of former President Kimberly Andrews Espy.
WSU appointed Bierschbach to lead the state’s third-largest university on an interim basis in September following Espy’s resignation.
She resigned nearly a week after the Board of Governors vowed to oust her.
One Wayne State source last September told Deadline Detroit that Espy had made her fair share of enemies and was perceived as silent, overly cautious, and “missing in action” after President Trump took office and threatened to withhold research funding from universities like WSU if they didn’t comply with White House policy.
When it came to issues of academic freedom, free speech, and supporting faculty, the person said Espy failed to speak up. However, the source added that Espy was in a tough position and had to be careful not to jeopardize government research funding, which could have harmed the university, particularly since it doesn’t have healthy endowments like Harvard or the University of Michigan.
