Dr. Mark Schweitzer
Dr. Mark Schweitzer, the dean of Wayne State University's School of Medicine, who's sharply criticized by staff for his leadership, has applied to become president at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
"USF has shown exceptional reputational ascent in the last 15 years, and I would see my responsibility to be a steward to continue and accelerate this progression," Schweitzer wrote in a letter to the university on Wayne State stationary obtained by Deadline Detroit.
"As I am a people person, one of my strengths is dedicating the time and effort to build relationships with relevant stakeholders," he writes. "I understand and am able to connect to a broad swath of individuals. I spend a notable amount of my time in my current position in both internal and external outreach -- much of this outreach is with state and to a lesser degree local officials."
Wayne State has the third-largest student population of med schools in the nation and provides healthcare for underserved areas in Metro Detroit. One of its missions is to train a diverse field of physicians.
Deadline Detroit reported last week that an internal survey conducted by the union for staff and faculty, found the majority had little confidence in Schweitzer's leadership.
"Three-quarters of respondents indicated that they would support the replacement of the Dean," the survey concluded, adding that much of the staff felt morale had worsened since Schweitzer's appiointment in 2020.
The survey, a vote of no confidence from the medical school staff, was conducted by the American Arbitration Association at the request of Local 6075 of the American Association of University Professors/American Federation of Teachers.
Of the 479 staff and faculty members, 237 (49.5 percent) responded.
On a 1-to-10 scale, with 10 being highest, 66 percent gave a 3 or less rating when it came to confidence in Schweitzer. Only 10 percent gave a rating of 7 or higher.
The survey included anonymous comments, such as:
"Dean Schweitzer has, on many occasions, provided conflicting messages when addressing the school as a whole and then when in individual meetings. He has, at times, been rude, profane, dismissive, and condescending to esteemed members of the SoM [School of Medicine] community to the point of being embarrassing."
But there were also some positive remarks, including: "He has shown the ability to sacrifice financially for the good of the institution. This model of good stewardship set a tone that was very positive."
The Tampa Bay Times reported that Schweitzer was one of 11 applicants for the job.
Wayne State University declined comment on Monday morning.
