Michigan State University Appoints Teresa Woodruff as Interim President

Teresa K. Woodruff was appointed interim president of Michigan State University. She will replace President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., who resigned late last month saying “I have lost confidence in the action of the current board of trustees. And I cannot in good conscience continue to serve this board as constituted.” The board of trustees had undertaken an independent investigation of President Stanley’s handling and certification of Title IX reporting in the wake of the University’s sexual assault scandal involving Larry Nasser.

Dr. Woodruff has been serving as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the university since 2020. Before becoming provost at Michigan State, Dr. Woodruff was dean of the graduate school and associate provost for graduate education at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Coining the term oncofertility — the blend of oncology and fertility — Dr. Woodruff created a now widely-recognized medical field that strives to explore and expand the reproductive options of cancer patients and cancer survivors. She holds 14 U.S. patents and is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Inventors, the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Woodruff is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, where she double majored in zoology and chemistry. She earned a doctorate in biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology from Northwestern University.

The university will form a search committee for a permanent president in 2023.