In response to Wayne State University President Kimberly Andrews Espy‘s resignation announcement, the Detroit Regional Chamber today issued the following statement, thanking Espy for her leadership at Wayne State University and for being a member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.
Chamber Thanks Wayne State President Espy for Her Leadership, Calls for Stability in Higher-ed Governance
September 17, 2025
“The Detroit Regional Chamber thanks Kimberly Andrews Espy for her leadership at Wayne State University and for being a member of our board of directors. Over the past two years, President Espy has been a strong partner in working to increase access to college and educational attainment across the Detroit Region, while continuing the academic and research excellence at Wayne State. Her commitment to driving innovation and increasing entrepreneurship, as well as her partnership with the Chamber, will be missed.
Espy’s departure as Wayne State’s president continues a troubling trend of premature leadership exits at Michigan’s prestigious R1 universities, which seems to be outpacing turnover rates at our other higher education institutions. The governance structure of these great R1 institutions warrants further examination to ensure they are best positioned to achieve their missions, which are vital to business and our state’s economy.”
– Sandy K. Baruah, President and Chief Executive Officer, Detroit Regional Chamber
Sept. 12, 2025
Today, the Chamber released a statement regarding Michigan’s need for stability in higher-education leadership.
Read the statement below.
“Michigan’s higher education institutions are among the best in the nation. Beyond being a point of pride and prestige, they are also one of our greatest assets. They drive innovation and economic growth and attract and cultivate the world-class talent our employers need to compete. As technology continues to rapidly change the global economy, we need to lean even more into our colleges and universities to stay competitive.
Unfortunately, there have been several surprising changes in leadership at our research universities in recent years, a trend that threatens to undercut their impact. Michigan needs to take a fresh look at its public universities’ governing structures to provide better support for these leaders to ensure success and longevity that allows sufficient time for them to implement meaningful change, drive innovation, and improve student performance. No organization can be successful in the long term without stable leadership.
Running a major university is an extraordinarily complex task with diverse constituencies and stakeholders. It takes time to master and learn, but too many of our recent university presidents have left or been forced out after a relatively short period. Such changes should be the rare exception, not the rule, and the process must be insulated from the politics of the day or small but vocal constituencies who don’t necessarily represent the views of the university and broader community.
Our universities have delivered long-term transformative value to help power our economy and high-value educations that change lives. They are some of the best and most respected in the world, but they need a governance structure that lives up to their important missions.”
– Sandy K. Baruah, President and Chief Executive Officer, Detroit Regional Chamber