Gupta says he has been cooperating in MSU probe, denies he failed to follow reporting protocols
Sanjay Gupta, Indian American dean of Michigan State University’s Broad School of Business has resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct or relationship harassment, or violence.
MSU officials confirmed that Sanjay Gupta resigned on Friday as the dean of the College of Business after serving in the position since June 2015 and working at MSU for the last 15 years, Lansing State Journal reported.
As of July of last year, Indian-born Gupta was the sixth-highest paid university official, with a salary of $472,236.
In a statement provided to the Journal by Emily Guerrant, MSU spokesperson, officials cited concerns over Gupta’s leadership of the College of Business and for “failure to report under our mandatory reporting policies” as reasons that led to his resignation.
“Those who take on leadership roles at MSU are expected to conduct themselves with careful and consistent attention to integrity and professionalism,” according to the statement. “This leadership transition is the result of poor administrative oversight, including a failure to adhere to our mandatory reporting guidelines.”
In an emailed statement, Gupta told the Journal he has been cooperating in an MSU investigation and refuted any claims he failed to follow mandatory reporting protocols.
“During the past few months, I’ve fully cooperated with the Office of Institutional Equity’s investigation, which remains ongoing, and I’ve acted accordingly with transparency to ensure a thorough and accurate report,” he wrote.
“I’ve served MSU for 15 years, including the last seven as dean of the business school – and I’m confident the proper steps to initiate an investigation of alleged misconduct, which I took extremely seriously, had been taken and that mandatory reporting obligations had been met.”
MSU policy put in place in August of 2020 only requires employees to report relationship violence and sexual misconduct if they became aware of it in their capacity as university employees, not in a personal capacity, according to the journal.
MSU officials pointed to the Larry Nassar scandal and other instances of sexual misconduct at MSU to highlight the importance of mandatory reporting.
Nassar pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting gymnasts and other athletes with his hands under the guise of medical treatment for hip and leg injuries. He is currently in federal prison for child pornography crimes in a different case that grew out of the same investigation.
Gupta joined the Broad College in 2007 as the Russell E. Palmer Endowed Professor of Accounting and chair of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, according to his profile on MSU website.
He was appointed associate dean for the MBA and professional master’s programs in July 2012. He served as the Eli and Edythe L. Broad Dean of the Broad College from 2015-2022.
As associate dean, Gupta instituted curricular innovations, such as BroadWeeks, in the Full-Time MBA program, led a task force to evaluate the Weekend MBA program, and facilitated the launch of new master’s programs in business analytics and management, strategy, and leadership.
Gupta received his PhD from Michigan State University, a master of accountancy from Bowling Green State University, a bachelor of laws from Calcutta University in India, and a bachelor of commerce from the University of Mumbai. He holds non-practicing certifications as a CPA and a member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.
Previously, he held several positions in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, including the first Henry & Horne Professorship in Accountancy, Dean’s Council of 100 Distinguished Scholars, and faculty director of the master of accountancy and information systems and the master of taxation programs.
Gupta has been recognized by the Broad College’s Executive MBA Class of 2010 with the Faculty Excellence Award and by the Arizona Society of CPAs with the Accounting Education Innovation Award and the Outstanding Educator Award.
Read: Ex-MSU dean defends himself after abruptly resigning (August 15, 2022)
He was chosen by MSU for the Committee on Institutional Cooperation’s (CIC) Academic Leaders Program and the CIC’s Department Executive Officers’ Seminar.
He serves on the University of Notre Dame Accounting Advisory Board and the MSU-CIBER Advisory Board. He has also served various business schools as part of their AACSB Accreditation Review Teams, according to his official profile.