John Engler Will Resign as Michigan State’s Interim President

[Last updated, 1/16/2019, 7:24 p.m.]

Bringing his tumultuous tenure to a close, John M. Engler, interim president of Michigan State University, announced late Wednesday that he would resign next week. News of the forthcoming resignation broke a few hours after the university’s Board of Trustees said that it would meet on Thursday morning to discuss Engler’s future, according to the Detroit Free Press.

“In compliance with your request that I resign and in order to ensure an orderly transition to my interim successor, I hereby resign the office of president of Michigan State University, effective 9 a.m., Wednesday, January 23,” Engler wrote in an 11-page letter of resignation. “It has been an honor to serve my beloved university.”

Earlier this week board members condemned Engler’s suggestion to The Detroit News that sexual-abuse survivors are “enjoying” the “spotlight.” The comment sparked renewed calls for the board to fire him.

But far from apologizing for his comments or expressing regret for the circumstances of his departure, Engler, a former Republican governor, explained his resignation in purely political terms.

Engler began his letter, which is addressed to Dianne Y. Byrum, the board’s chairwoman, by stating: “You have advised me that five Democratic members of the MSU board, including yourself, have requested my resignation. The election of two new Democratic members and the appointment of a Democrat to replace Trustee George Perles has created a new majority on the board.” The implication, apparently, is that he is merely bowing to the will of Michigan voters.

Late Wednesday, Byrum wrote in a tweet: “This evening I received a letter of resignation from John Engler, and this will be discussed and acted upon at the BOT meeting tomorrow morning.”

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

“John Engler’s reign of terror is over,” Brian Mosallam, a Michigan State trustee, told the Free Press in advance of the resignation news. “Michigan State University will be returned to its people.”

Engler was appointed a year ago as an interim replacement for Lou Anna K. Simon to help steady Michigan State in the aftermath of the Larry Nassar sex-abuse scandal. Nassar, a former university sports doctor, sexually abused women and girls under the guise of medical treament and is serving a minimum 40-year prison sentence.

Since his appointment, Engler has incited criticism with his public comments and private emails questioning the motives of Nassar’s victims.

Michigan State did not immediately responded to a request for comment.

Andrew Mytelka contributed to this article.

Fernanda Zamudio-Suaréz is breaking-news editor. Follow her on Twitter @FernandaZamudio, or email her at fzamudiosuarez@chronicle.com.