In an email letter to members of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, the university’s new interim president, John Engler, reports he wants to fire Dr. William Strampel, Dean of the Osteopathic Medical School since 2002, for his role in the Larry Nassar case.
The President’s recommendation, after five days on the job, requires an affirmative vote of a faculty hearing committee to reverse his tenure.
Strampel has been on medical leave since last December.
According to an MSU news release, he was accused of not following-up on the medical procedures he asked Nassar to follow after a joint FBI and campus police department investigation into sexual abuse allegations concerning Nassar.
The release quoted Strampel as saying he did not “see the need to follow up to ensure” Nassar complied with the recommendations to use a rubber glove and have another adult in the room during his medical exams.
“William Strampel did not act with the level of professionalism we expect from individuals who hold senior leadership positions, particularly a position that involves student and patient safety,” wrote Engler. “Further allegations have arisen that question whether his personal conduct over a long period of time met MSU’s standards. We are sending an unmistakable message today that we will remove employees who do not treat students, faculty, staff, or anyone else in our community in an appropriate manner.”
Engler added that he hopes the “courageous survivors” of Nassar’s abuse “will see this as an unmistakable indication that things are changing quickly at Michigan State.”
This story presented in cooperation with MIRS, a Lansing-based news and information service.