> Skip to content
FEATURED:
  • Student-Success Resource Center
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
  • News
  • Advice
  • The Review
  • Data
  • Current Issue
  • Virtual Events
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Career Resources
Sign In
ADVERTISEMENT
News
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Show more sharing options
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Copy Link URLCopied!
  • Print

Michigan State to Name Interim President as Investigation Heats Up

By  Adam Harris
January 30, 2018

John Engler, a former governor of Michigan, will be named interim president of Michigan State University as fallout over the university’s failure to respond to sexual abuse by Larry Nassar continues to roil the campus, according to several news reports.

Engler, a Republican, will be joined on the staff by another former governor, Jim Blanchard, a Democrat, who will serve as a senior adviser. Both former governors are Michigan State graduates. By adding one member from each party, the members of the university’s Board of Trustees hope to dispel any concerns about partisanship.

We're sorry. Something went wrong.

We are unable to fully display the content of this page.

The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network.

Please allow access to our site, and then refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.

If you continue to experience issues, please contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com

John Engler, a former governor of Michigan, will be named interim president of Michigan State University as fallout over the university’s failure to respond to sexual abuse by Larry Nassar continues to roil the campus, according to several news reports.

Engler, a Republican, will be joined on the staff by another former governor, Jim Blanchard, a Democrat, who will serve as a senior adviser. Both former governors are Michigan State graduates. By adding one member from each party, the members of the university’s Board of Trustees hope to dispel any concerns about partisanship.

The announcement is expected to be made at a board meeting on Wednesday morning.

Three victims of Larry Nassar — Kaylee Lorincz, Rachael Denhollander, and Lindsey Lemke — spoke in Lansing, Mich., in November 2017. Testimony by them and others at his sentencing hearing, in January 2018, undermined support for Michigan State’s president, Lou Anna K. Simon.
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 Is Out at Michigan State. Here Are 3 Moments That Got Him Booted.

The university is conducting a nationwide search to replace Lou Anna K. Simon, who stepped down last week. “As tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable,” she said in a statement announcing her resignation. “As president, it is only natural that I am the focus of this anger.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Bill Schuette, the attorney general of Michigan, has opened an investigation into the university’s handling of complaints against Nassar. On Monday, alongside the special independent counsel William Forsyth, he released a letter that requested information, including text and email messages, from 20 current and former university officials.

According to the Lansing State Journal, 57 more women are expected to give impact statements about Nassar before his final sentencing.

Merrily Dean Baker, a former athletic director at the university, told The Detroit News, “this is a moment of soul-searching for anyone who has any affiliation with that university.”

“I’ve been quiet, but I listened online to the women at [Nassar’s] sentencing trial, and I wept with them. Nobody can play nice anymore,” she continued. “If there ever was a time for 100 percent transparency and its survival, this is it. And if it doesn’t happen, they will not survive.”

Adam Harris is a breaking-news reporter. Follow him on Twitter @AdamHSays or email him at adam.harris@chronicle.com.

ADVERTISEMENT

Read other items in this The Nassar Scandal and the Crisis of Michigan State’s President package.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Leadership & Governance
Adam Harris
Adam Harris, a staff writer at The Atlantic, was previously a reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education and covered federal education policy and historically Black colleges and universities. He also worked at ProPublica.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Content

  • After Michigan State: ‘Could We Be Next?’
  • What to Do When It’s Your Crisis
  • President Simon’s Resignation: Too Little, Too Late
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Accessibility Statement
    Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • DEI Commitment Statement
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
    Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Institutional Subscriptions
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
    Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2023 The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin