Can Michigan State Get Its Public-Relations Nightmare Under Control?

For Michigan State University, the revelation that Larry Nassar abused more than 250 girls and young women was harrowing. It was also a big public-relations problem.

That problem was made worse, in the eyes of many, by the repeated attempts of Lou Anna K. Simon’s administration to deflect responsibility instead of empathizing with Nassar’s victims.

Now, as the university’s interim president faces widespread criticism for his defiant comments to state lawmakers and reporters in recent days, many observers are wondering what’s amiss with Michigan State’s communications strategy — and what might be done about it, if the institution is to regain the public’s trust.

John Engler, the interim leader and a former Michigan governor, appeared at a legislative committee hearing last week, where lawmakers asked him to update them on how the university was moving forward from the Nassar scandal.

The Nassar Scandal and the Crisis of Michigan State’s President

Within a year the university lost two chief executives — Lou Anna K. Simon, sank by the scathing, heart-rending testimony of the sports doctor’s scores of victims, and John M. Engler, whose interim presidency ended amid a backlash over his bare-knuckled tactics.

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But Engler spent much of the hearing lambasting lawmakers for approving a package of bills designed to help prevent sexual assault, saying the state Senate had “interfered” in the university’s continuing settlement negotiations with Nassar’s victims by giving their lawyers greater leverage.

Engler then attacked ESPN on Saturday at a news conference. After saying that the university was “making significant progress” in terms of making the campus safer, he switched gears and called out ESPN for its own recent allegations of sexual harassment.

“Look at the sexual assaults you guys are dealing with as a company,” he said, adding that “in many ways, their company is one of the worst in the nation.” ESPN published a scathing article last month suggesting that a culture of sweeping sexual assault under the rug ran deep within Michigan State’s athletic department.

Engler immediately faced rebuke from Nassar’s victims. One of them, Rachael Denhollander, had this to say: “Clear evidence, once again, the MSU Board and President Engler have not listened to a word we have said, nor do they understand or care about the impact of sexual assault or making sure this doesn’t happen again.”

The negative headlines continued on Monday, as The Wall Street Journal reported that Nassar’s former boss, William Strampel, said in October 2016 that he didn’t believe the sexual-abuse allegations against the sports doctor. “I don’t think any of these women were actually assaulted by Larry,” he told a group of administrators and students, according to the Journal.

Emily Guerrant, a Michigan State spokeswoman, wrote in an email that “the university is prepared to be accountable for its role in the tragedy that happened.” Guerrant also said that Engler “has been committed to supporting the survivors that suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar.” The university hopes to reach settlements with the victims this summer, she said.

Featured prominently on the university’s website is a new “Go Teal” campaign, spearheaded by students, that seeks to support sexual-assault victims and raise awareness.

Given that Engler is a longtime politician who has spent decades in public life, Gene Grabowski, a public-relations consultant who works with colleges, said he’s surprised that the former governor has handled the situation so poorly given the intensity of the spotlight on Michigan State.

“Either MSU doesn’t have a communications plan with regard to this issue,” Grabowski said, “or it has a plan and it has talking points but people are ignoring them, or people are going off script.”

“The thing I’m ruling out,” he added, “is that this is their strategy.”

The first step for Michigan State officials? “Stop. Stop the bleeding,” Grabowski said. “I don’t think an apology is in order,” he continued, but officials should quickly reframe their message.

In the coming days, when Engler is asked about his comments, Grabowski said, the interim president will need a quick answer. He suggests something along these lines: “We were under extreme pressure as anybody would be in this situation. I love this school, and I said things that were intemperate.”

Then Engler can continue with a newly focused message that should include three key tenets: that campus officials regret what happened with Nassar, that they are cooperating with the various investigations, and that there will be more accountability going forward. He and the board of trustees should stick as closely as possible to that script, Grabowski said.

Michigan State officials have said that pending litigation has made it more difficult to respond publicly to the crisis. But at this point, Grabowski said, improving the university’s communications strategy is more important than fending off lawsuits.

“As bad as legal jeopardy is, for a major school, legal jeopardy is not as damaging as hurting your reputation in the court of public opinion,” he said. “Parents are watching. It’s possible that future students are watching this.”

Update (3/21/2018, 4:52 p.m.): This article has been updated with a response from Michigan State’s spokeswoman.

Sarah Brown writes about a range of higher-education topics, including sexual assault, race on campus, and Greek life. Follow her on Twitter @Brown_e_Points, or email her at sarah.brown@chronicle.com.