The board of trustees at Michigan State University named a new interim president on Thursday to replace John Engler, a day after he resigned amid widespread criticism over his remarks that some victims of Lawrence G. Nassar, the former university and U.S.A. Gymnastics doctor, appeared to be enjoying “the spotlight.” The trustees appointed a top university administrator, Satish Udpa, as the interim leader on Thursday morning at a hastily scheduled board meeting, where they roundly condemned Mr. Engler’s comments and accepted his resignation, effective immediately, by a vote of 7 to 0 with one trustee absent. The swift upheaval, nearly a year after a high-profile sentencing hearing for Dr. Nassar where more than 150 young women told stories of sexual abuse, underscored the challenges still facing Michigan State in the wake of the scandal. Many of the abuse charges stemmed from Dr. Nassar’s time at the university, where he had been a faculty member and the team physician for two female varsity squads, in addition to his role with the American gymnastics team. The university’s longtime president, Lou Anna K. Simon, stepped down under intense pressure the same day, Jan. 24, that Dr. Nassar was sentenced to prison last year.<doc-sep>The interim president of Michigan State University resigned Wednesday amid criticism of remarks he made last week about victims of sexual abuse by ex-sports doctor Larry Nassar. In an 11-page resignation letter, John Engler said he would step down effective Jan. 23. The letter made no mention of the outcry over his comments and instead listed what Engler considered to be his accomplishments in just under one year of service, describing the university as a "dramatically better, stronger institution." Engler submitted his resignation the day before a special meeting of the university's board of trustees was to convene to discuss his future. Board of Trustees Chair Dianne Byrum confirmed on Twitter that she had received Engler's resignation letter and said it "will be discussed and acted upon at the BOT meeting [Thursday] morning." In a Jan. 11 editorial board meeting with The Detroit News, Engler said women sexually assaulted by Nassar have been in the "spotlight" and were "still enjoying that moment at times, you know, the awards and recognition." Nassar, who molested hundreds of girls and women while employed at Michigan State and USA Gymnastics, is now serving decades-long prison sentences for sexually assaulting patients and possessing child pornography. The university fired Nassar in 2016, two years after he was the subject of a sexual assault investigation. LARRY NASSAR HIT WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES IN TEXAS Engler was hired as interim president in February of last year to replace Lou Anna Simon, who resigned over the fallout from the Nassar scandal and was charged in November with two felony counts of lying to police about the case. After Engler's hiring, Michigan State agreed to a $500 million settlement with 332 women and girls who said they were sexually assaulted by Nassar. Future claims, of which Engler said 172 were under consideration, are to be covered by $75 million of that sum. "We are really thinking about that 172," Engler told the Detriot News last week. "The people who got the $425 million are probably OK." In April, Engler told another university official in emails that Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to go public with her accusations about Nassar, was probably getting a "kickback" from her attorney. Denhollander told The Associated Press on Wednesday it "was no secret" who Engler was and how he operated. The former board -- five members remain and three are gone -- picked Engler "for a reason," she said, and it "needs to take responsibility for what they did." MSU PAID HALF A MILLION DOLLARS TO 'SPY' ON VICTIMS OF LARRY NASSAR, REPORT SAYS Her biggest concern with Engler's tenure has been what he has "communicated about abuse," Denhollander said. "What he has communicated is that survivors who speak up will be attacked and blamed and shamed, that those who push for change are going to be accused of enjoying the spotlight, that they will be lied about." The current board has five Democrats, two Republicans and an appointee who was named last month by then-Gov. Rick Snyder. The board's makeup became more Democratic in the November election. A special prosecutor appointed by Michigan's then-attorney general to investigate Michigan State's handling of Nassar accused the university last month of stonewalling his probe. Bill Forsyth released a report that said the school fought the release of certain relevant documents and released others that were heavily redacted or irrelevant. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "Their biggest concern was the reputation of the university," Forsyth said at a news conference. Denhollander said Wednesday that Michigan State, including the board, should waive attorney-client privilege and release documents to law enforcement. She also renewed her call for MSU to conduct a truly independent investigation of its actions. Click for more from The Detroit News. The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Engler wrote that he arrived at a university in crisis and moved with urgency and determination to stabilize the institution, come to grips with the impact of the cascading scandal and change the culture to ensure accountability, safety and respect. He listed changes implemented during his tenure, such as expanding access to mental health counseling, strengthening oversight and swiftly reaching the settlement agreement with Nassar’s victims. Tuition for undergraduates was frozen during his tenure, and he helped the university set enrollment records for this school year’s freshman class, he wrote. “The bottom line is that MSU is a dramatically better, stronger institution than it was one year ago,” Engler said.<doc-sep>
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Latest on the resignation of interim Michigan State University President John Engler (all times local): 9:30 a.m. Michigan State University trustees garnered applause after voting to force the immediate resignation of the university’s interim president. John Engler submitted his resignation letter Wednesday, saying he’d resign next week after making controversial comments about some victims of former sports doctor and convicted sexual abuser Larry Nassar. The Board of Trustees voted Thursday to make the resignation immediate. Trustee Kelly Tebay says “a wrong has been righted today. I’m sorry it took so long.” The former Michigan governor was brought in to help the university following the Nassar scandal. Engler had resisted past calls to step down. But the final straw came last week when he said Nassar’s victims had been in the “spotlight” and were at times “still enjoying ... the awards and recognition.” Hundreds of women and girls have accused Nassar of molesting them when they sought treatment during his time working for Michigan State and USA Gymnastics. The victims included Olympic gymnasts. ___ 8:20 a.m. Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees has voted to accept interim president John Engler’s resignation, but is making his departure effective immediately. The board acted Thursday, a day after Engler said he’d step down next week . Engler’s resignation comes amid fallout from remarks he made about some victims of former sports doctor and convicted sexual abuser Larry Nassar. The board appointed Satish Udpa as the new interim president. He currently serves as the school’s executive vice president for administration and is a distinguished professor. ___ 12 a.m. Michigan State University plans to announce a new interim president following the forced resignation of John Engler amid backlash over his comments about some of convicted sex abuser Larry Nassar’s victims. The Board of Trustees will meet Thursday. The former Michigan governor, who was brought in almost a year ago to help the school recover from the scandal, announced his resignation Wednesday rather than be fired at the meeting. It’s effective Jan. 23. Engler told The Detroit News last week that Nassar’s victims in the “spotlight” are “still enjoying that moment at times, you know, the awards and recognition.” Engler previously was criticized for sending emails that suggested the first woman to go public with her accusations was probably getting a “kickback” from her attorney. The university plans to name a permanent president in June.