John Engler is out, and engineer Satish Udpa is in as Michigan State University’s new interim president. Starting immediately. Engler wanted his resignation to be effective starting January 23rd, but the university’s board of trustees had other plans.
The announcement comes after Engler resigned Wednesday night when members of the Board of Trustees announced they had the votes to fire Engler.
Last week Engler told the Detroit News that some sexual assault survivors of former MSU sports doctor Larry Nassar are “enjoying” the “spotlight.”
“I am so ready, and I am so optimistic to see what this university is going to do in the time moving forward,” said Nassar survivor Kaylee Lorincz, who added that she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Udpa is an executive vice president at the university and a former dean. He said he wants to help change the culture at Michigan State.
“That we recognize that people have their rights, people have to be treated fairly, humanely, and that’s what we are going to strive for,” Udpa said.
This wasn’t the first time Engler faced criticism over his interactions with survivors. In the past he’s been accused of trying to pay off a survivor and faced criticism over emails in which he said some survivors of Nassar may be taking kickbacks.
“He needed to go immediately,” said trustee Brian Mosallam. “We didn’t need a five-day circus around here and everybody waiting for him to come back and it would have caused a distraction, we felt. So, it was time to move on.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says she wants to interview Engler as part of the office’s ongoing investigation into MSU.