John Engler will resign as interim president of Michigan State University, multiple sources told the Free Press on Wednesday. The move comes hours after the board set…
John Engler will resign as interim president of Michigan State University, multiple sources told the Free Press on Wednesday.
The move comes hours after the board set a special meeting for early Thursday morning with the intent to fire him, the sources said.
Engler has been under heavy criticism for the past year, since he took over for Lou Anna Simon, who herself resigned under heavy criticism for her handling of the Larry Nassar sexual assaults scandal.
After setting the board meeting for 8 a.m. Thursday, board chairwoman Dianne Byrum told Engler the board would like him to resign or it would fire him, the sources said.
Engler and MSU spokeswoman Emily Guerrant did not return requests for comment.
Board members are expected to name a replacement for Engler during the Thursday meeting, sources told the Free Press.
It’s a meeting that has been brewing almost since the day Engler took over as interim president at his alma mater.
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Like Simon, much of Engler’s tenure has been taken up with fallout from the Nassar scandal and heavy criticism from survivors of Nassar’s abuse. Engler survived a motion to fire him this summer, but the criticism hasn’t abated.
Once the meeting was announced, board member Brian Mosallam, the leading critic of Engler, told the Free Press the time had come for Engler to leave.
« John Engler’s reign of terror is over, » said Mosallam, who has been pushing for Engler’s departure for nearly a year.
