EAST LANSING, Mich. — Engler's comment about Nassar survivors enjoying the spotlight was the final straw for the board of trustees.
But many in the MSU community were done with him long before then.
The universal reaction at the university was disgust to his continued comments. Trustee and board chair Dianne Byrum said it was time for a change.
"It just became a series of missteps and ill-advised comments and it’s just to the point where we can't move forward as long as this kind of behavior from the interim president is occurring," she said.
If Engler doesn't resign by Wednesday, the board is prepared to vote on "personnel action" which Byrum says is the "discussion of John Engler's employment at Michigan State University."
"We have to get out from being front page news in Michigan and across the United States on regular basis. It's all negative," Byrum said.
Byrum says it was his own actions that brought the board to this decision. Survivors say they too are sick of it.
"It's not a great feeling for us to have to rehash the same feeling over and over and over again. But for him to say such rude and scummy things... it sucks. You know we have heard ever insult known to man," Amanda Smith said.
Byrum says they are writing a new chapter at MSU, and says it’s hard to do that with Engler.
"It's very difficult to tell the story of all that has been done when you have comments that are disparaging, ill-advised, harmful, and hurtful coming from the interim president. That pulls us backwards. That's the tug and pull that the board has been wrestling with," Byrum added.
Byrum said they know who the next interim president would be but wouldn't disclose that information at this time. She said it will be revealed at Thursday's meeting.
Michigan State's deans also want Engler gone. All 15 of them signed a letter saying they do not support his continued leadership and asking the board of trustees to take appropriate action.
We will have updates as soon as anything happens and News 10 will be streaming the board meeting.
