EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The president of Michigan State University announced his resignation Thursday, three years after he was hired in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal.
Samuel Stanley Jr. said he has lost confidence in the school's governing board and can no longer serve.
“I gave my contractually required 90-day notice of resignation,” Stanley said in a video announcement.
Watch President Stanley's announcement below:
Since summer, Stanley has been under fire by some trustees, namely for the departure of a business school dean. He said Sanjay Gupta was removed because there were “failures of leadership” related to Title IX, the federal law that bars sex discrimination in programs that receive federal aid.
Stanley was president of Stony Brook University in New York when he was hired three years ago at 50,000-student Michigan State.
The school was trying to recover from a scandal involving Nassar, a campus sports doctor, who was accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of women and girls, including Olympic gymnasts, at Michigan State, a local gymnastics club and USA Gymnastics. He pleaded guilty and is serving decades in prison.
The MSU Board of Trustees released the following statement hours after Stanley's announcement:
“The MSU Board of Trustees appreciates President Stanley’s service over the past three years. President Stanley arrived at a difficult time and provided steady leadership to guide us forward while the entire world was experiencing severe disruption and uncertainty. The Board of Trustees will work cooperatively with President Stanley during this transition and more details will be shared with the campus community as information is available.”
MSU Democratic Board of Trustees nominees Dennis Denno and Renee Knake Jefferson released the following statement:
“The focus of this great university must be its students, faculty, and staff and the long-term success, health, and safety of the entire MSU community. We look forward to working with every stakeholder to address issues as they arise responsibly and with thoughtfulness.”
