New candidates are running replace two opening seats on the Wayne State University Board of Governors.
The University of Michigan Board of Regents, the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, and the Wayne State University Board of Governors are state executive boards consisting of eight elected members each. Each board has “general supervision of its institution and the control and direction of all expenditures from the institution’s funds.”
Michigan is one of three states that choose certain nominees at a party convention instead of voting in primary elections. Party members will decide candidates for secretary of state, attorney general, and university boards.
Candidates for Wayne State’s Board of Governors include Democratic activist Naz Hussan, civil rights attorneys Shereef Akeel and Richard Mack, and recent Wayne State graduate and activist Jeremiah Wheeler.
Bryan Barnhill who was first elected by party members to serve as a board of governor in 2018, will leave the board at the end of the year due to term limits.
Barnhill, a political strategist and activist, told Michigan Chronicle he was among the Democrats punished by the state party for endorsing former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, an independent running for governor after announcing he was leaving the state party. Barnhill worked in Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration as the chief talent officer after serving as the campaign manager for the Duggan’s successful write-in effort in 2013.
Anil Kumar is the other Wayne State Governor whose term ends on Dec. 31, 2026.
Currently, the university board is made up of five Democrats and three Republicans: Danielle Atkinson (D), Bryan Barnhill (D), Michael Busuito (R), Marilyn Kelly (D), Terri Lynn Land (R), Sunny Reddy (R) and Shirley Stancato (D).
Candidates said they want to make the university more affordable and protect freedom of speech on campus.
“Whenever students try to get involved, they get shut down, they get the police called on them or they just get disrespected,” Wheeler said. “That’s why I’m in the race, I’m not running against anybody. I’m running for the students.”
Wheeler is the leader of Black Convergence, a coalition of civic minded students and community activists.
He said in an interview with Michigan Chronicle Thursday that he couldn’t wait another couple of years for students go without authentic representation.
Akeel told Michigan Chronicle he’s focused on foreign students affected by President Donald Trump’s policies. In his career as a civil rights attorney, Akeel won cases involving travel bans and religious discrimination.
“Wayne State is the number one university for social mobility,” Akeel said. “Wayne State lifts people up, I’m here to lift people, lift the graduation rate for first generation students. I have five boys, I want them to do better than me.”
Akeel said Democrats must endorse strong candidates
“Wayne State could conceivably run by Republicans,” Akeel said.
Mack, a member of the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party’s executive board, said he wants to use his experience wading through government budgets to help deliver a top-notch education for students, while fairly compensating faculty and staff.
Mack told Michigan Chronicle he would fight to bring fairer wages to Wayne State workers and faculty.
“I am driven to help make WSU more affordable, safe, and connected to the entire state of Michigan,” Mack said.
Hussan says WSU is facing serious challenges, including rising tuition, increasing housing costs, threats to DEI programs, cuts to research funding and scholarships, and growing concerns about free expression on campus.
Pro-Palestinian protestors in 2024 were jailed after refusing to leave campus during a student encampment, where students and non-student activists demanded the university divest its business ties with Israel over the war in Gaza. There were no violent incidents reported from the protest, however, WSU cited safety issues when it moved to remote operations and halted in-person classes over the protest.
“I believe every student should have access to a world-class education without being burdened by overwhelming financial strain, and I will advocate for policies that expand scholarship availability, strengthen financial aid, and prioritize responsible budgeting,” Hussan said. “In addition to affordability, student success must remain at the heart of every major decision.”
How leaders responded to pro-Palestine demonstrations in 2024 continues to influence the dynamics of elections across Michigan.
At the University of Michigan, regent Jordan Acker is seeking an endorsement from party members as well as Amir Makled, a Dearborn civil rights attorney who represented pro-Palestinian U of M students and alumni who faced charges filed by Attorney General Dana Nessel, who later dropped the charges amid intense pressure from activists.
