EAST LANSING (WKZO AM/FM) — Former Michigan Governor John Engler has been named as the interim President of Michigan State University. He will take office February 5, 2018. Bill Beekman will continue to serve in that role until then.
Trustees angered students and members of the faculty attending the meeting with the unanimous vote, before anyone beyond the board had an opportunity to offer input on the selection.
One student felt compelled to jump onto the board table to be heard. A member of the MSU Faculty Senate proposed a vote of no confidence, which drew applause from the students in the room.
Engler will serve in place of former school president Lou Anna Simon, who resigned last week as outrage grew over the Larry Nassar Scandal following the victim impact statements.
Nassar was given 40 to 175 years in prison.
Reaction to the Engler nomination started appearing in social media soon after it leaked.
Republicans like Portage Senator Margaret O’Brien says Engler won’t be hesitant to “clean house of those who have to go”
But Ingham County State Senator Curtis Hertel says this job is different than being Governor, and he wants a meeting with Engler to discuss the differences.
Victim Racheal Denhollander of Kalamazoo tweeted her disappointment, saying she was hoping for a true outsider, instead they picked someone who is entrenched in the politics of protectionism. “So much for the Board’s words about change and accountability.”
Democratic Party Chair Brandon Dillon is questioning the relationship between Engler and the man responsible for the investigation of the University, Bill Schuette. He sees it as a conflict. Schuette served in John Engler’s cabinet when he was Governor and Engler has already endorsed Schuette’s run for Governor.
Engler will serve until the board picks a permanent replacement, which could take some time. Finding candidates who want to step into this wounded institution may not be easy.
The school is facing civil lawsuits filed by more than 100 women and girls, multiple investigations, and a damaged reputation that could hurt enrollments, donations and even state funding. We have also learned that Moody’s is reevaluating the University’s bond rating because of the damage it has suffered.
