Accreditation, faculty hiring process unaffected by El-Sawi's resignation
The accreditation process for the College of Medicine will not be affected by Dr. Nehad El-Sawi’s resignation as associate dean for Medical Education and Faculty Development.
Dr. Ernest Yoder, founding dean of the college, said El-Sawi’s job responsibilities have been re-assigned until her replacement is hired. She led the faculty search team for hiring faculty, Yoder said, but the process will not slow down with her departure.
“Hiring decisions lay with the dean’s team, the five of us,” Yoder said, “and interviews for new faculty are scheduled.”
He said El-Sawi’s departure was not spurred by resentment or anger.
“I can’t comment on her reasons for deciding to leave,” Yoder said. “It was her choice; she resigned.”
El-Sawi tendered her resignation effective Jan. 25, according to an internal e-mail sent by Provost E. Gary Shapiro Friday morning.
Steve Smith, director of public relations, said El-Sawi’s departure is a personnel issue.
“We are limited in what we can say in these matters,” Smith said.
A national search to find El-Sawi’s replacement will begin “soon,” he said. She could not be reached for comment.
Her position was originally announced by Shapiro on May 10 and had an annual salary of $200,000.
El-Sawi previously served as the president of the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences’ Institute for Medical Education Innovation for two years. She was a founding associate dean for Curriculum and Faculty Enrichment for the A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona for two years and was the senior associate dean for Academic Affairs for KCU for 15 years.
“Like no other time in recent memory, dramatic shifts in thinking are transforming the landscape of medical education,” El-Sawi said in a statement when she was hired in May. “This opportunity provides CMU and the new College of Medicine team with the unprecedented opportunity to write the script for the future of medical education as we innovatively and creatively design the program of study that best prepares students.”
During an Aug. 25 interview with Central Michigan Life, El-Sawi said the College of Medicine provides a “unique leadership opportunity” as the college designs its curriculum.
