Michigan State U. Forces Out Engler Immediately

Six days after John M. Engler caused a firestorm by suggesting in an interview that sexual-abuse survivors were “enjoying” the “spotlight,” Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees on Thursday formally accepted his resignation as interim president and denied him the few extra days he’d requested to clear out his office.

In the same stroke, the board tapped Satish Udpa, an executive vice president and former engineering dean, to serve as interim leader.

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.

• 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 board expects to name a permanent president in June.

The board’s unanimous decision puts a coda on the tumultuous Engler era, a year that has been defined by the former Republican governor’s continuing and surprising clashes with women who were abused by Larry Nassar, a former university sports doctor whose crimes have landed him in prison for a minimum of 40 years. Engler was credited by trustees for reaching a $500-million legal settlement with hundreds of victims, but in public comments he has impugned survivors’ motives and inflamed tensions on a campus that has been in the throes of a crisis that trustees now acknowledge Engler continued to feed.

After the vote on Thursday, Dianne Y. Byrum, the board’s newly elected chairwoman, said that Engler’s repeated missteps had undercut the university’s efforts to improve campus safety and heal a community that has been torn apart.

“None of our work will matter if our leaders say hurtful things and do not listen to survivors,” Byrum said. “Engler’s statements regarding survivors of sexual assault have been extremely hurtful and do not reflect the values of our university. The board deeply regrets the impact on survivors and to the community.”

Michigan State’s eight board members are elected with political-party affiliations, and a recent election tilted the board’s balance toward Democrats. But the trustees pushed back against Engler’s suggestion, in a resignation letter sent on Wednesday, that his ouster stemmed from a change in the board’s political alignment.

“It’s not a partisan decision,” said Daniel J. Kelly, a Republican and vice chairman of the board. “I don’t think it’s a Democrat or Republican position to condemn comments that are not consistent with the values or what we hope to be the values of the university.”

Melanie Foster, a Republican and longtime Engler ally, did not attend the meeting.

Engler was appointed last January after Lou Anna K. Simon was forced out over the Nassar scandal. His selection was controversial from the start, and many saw him as a symbol of an intransigent culture that put political considerations ahead of morally sound decision making. But Kelly cautioned that Engler’s removal would not bring an end to a scandal that has so deeply wounded the institution and the community.

“I don’t believe it is over,” he said. “I don’t think it will ever be over.”

This story is developing and will be updated.

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