Engler’s Michigan State U. Presidency Is as Imperiled as Ever. And That’s Saying Something.

John M. Engler is running out of friends — again.

More members of Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees came forward on Monday to condemn Engler, the interim president, whose recent suggestion that sexual-abuse survivors are “enjoying” the “spotlight” sparked outrage and renewed calls for his ouster.

The growing number of board members willing to publicly admonish Engler, coupled with the suggestion from trustees that some form of action may come as early as this week, raises the specter that his interim presidency is as imperiled as it has ever been.

And that’s saying something.

Engler’s position has been precarious since his appointment last year, when he was swiftly hired to stabilize an institution that had been rocked by revelations that Larry Nassar, a former university sports doctor, had sexually abused women and girls under the guise of medical treatment.

The former Republican governor has regularly gotten crosswise with Nassar’s victims, impugning their motives in public comments and private emails that were later made public by the news media.

Engler’s latest gaffe came on Friday, in an interview with The Detroit News’s editorial board. In the ensuing days, members of the university’s governing board have signaled that they may have finally had enough.

In a LinkedIn message to The Chronicle on Monday, Nancy Schlichting, a newly appointed trustee, became the third of the board’s eight members to publicly condemn Engler’s assertion.

“I am appalled by John Engler’s recent comments,” she wrote, “but would prefer not to meet with any reporters until the board has an opportunity to respond this week.”

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.

• With Criminal Charges Dismissed Against Michigan State’s Ex-President, Sex-Abuse Accountability Hits Skids Again
• Michigan State’s Ex-President, Who Faces Criminal Charges, Will Retire With a $2.5-Million Payout
• At Michigan State, a Disruptive Presidency That Few Could Muster the Will to End

Schlichting did not reply to a follow-up question about what sort of response might be coming this week, but another board member, who has previously called for Engler’s removal, made the same allusion to potential action from the trustees.

“I am working closely with some of my colleagues to consider next steps,” said Brian Mosallam, a trustee and former Spartan football player.

Mosallam, who called for Engler’s dismissal in June, would not elaborate on what those next steps might be. But he condemned Engler’s remarks in an interview with The Washington Post on Monday and reiterated those concerns to The Chronicle.

“His comments were totally inappropriate, yet par for the course for John Engler,” he told The Chronicle.

Michigan State has not responded to multiple requests since Saturday for comment from Engler.

The votes of five of the eight trustees, a simple majority, would be needed to fire Engler. Turnover on the board has renewed questions about whether the interim president can keep his job until June, when the university expects to name a permanent replacement.

Jack Stripling covers college leadership, particularly presidents and governing boards. Follow him on Twitter @jackstripling, or email him at jack.stripling@chronicle.com.