John Engler, interim president of Michigan State U., will keep his position until a permanent president is named, the Board of Trustees said on Thursday.
John M. Engler, Michigan State University’s interim president, apologized on Thursday for an email he wrote asserting that the first woman to accuse Larry Nassar of sexual abuse was likely to receive a “kickback” from her lawyer, according to a new statement from Engler.
In emails obtained by The Chronicle from April, Engler wrote that Rachael J. Denhollander was probably receiving payments from her lawyer for her “manipulation” of other survivors.
“That was a big mistake. I was wrong. I apologize,” Engler wrote in the statement.
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David Eggert, AP Images
John Engler, interim president of Michigan State U., will keep his position until a permanent president is named, the Board of Trustees said on Thursday.
John M. Engler, Michigan State University’s interim president, apologized on Thursday for an email he wrote asserting that the first woman to accuse Larry Nassar of sexual abuse was likely to receive a “kickback” from her lawyer, according to a new statement from Engler.
In emails obtained by The Chronicle from April, Engler wrote that Rachael J. Denhollander was probably receiving payments from her lawyer for her “manipulation” of other survivors.
“That was a big mistake. I was wrong. I apologize,” Engler wrote in the statement.
“My speculation about the lead plaintiff receiving kickbacks or referral fees hurt her deeply and for that I am truly sorry,” he continued. “She and the other survivors suffered greatly, and they are entitled not to have their sincerity questioned, either individually or as a group. I apologize to her and her sister survivors.”
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.
After the emails became public this month, Engler faced a backlash from victims of Nassar’s abuse, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and even two members of the Board of Trustees. That reaction fueled speculation about whether there were enough votes on the eight-member board to send Engler packing.
Apparently, there weren’t. In a statement released shortly after Engler’s, the board said that a “majority” of trustees appreciated and accepted Engler’s apology. “The majority of the board believes Interim President Engler has played a significant leadership role developing our new approaches and has been a driving force in the rapid rollout of many of these reforms,” the statement says. “He will continue to serve as interim president until a new president is selected. John is not a candidate for the permanent position and has stated repeatedly that he wishes to depart as soon as the new president is chosen.”
Critics of Engler, a former Republican governor of Michigan, have said since his appointment that he would politicize the Nassar scandal even further. He took over the presidency from Lou Anna K. Simon, who was forced to resign under criticism for the university’s handling of Nassar, a former Michigan State professor who has been convicted of abusing hundreds of young women and girls.
Fernanda is newsletter product manager at The Chronicle. She is the voice behind Chronicle newsletters like the Weekly Briefing, Five Weeks to a Better Semester, and more. She also writes about what Chronicle readers are thinking. Send her an email at fernanda@chronicle.com.
