Michigan State University faculty members are supporting the appointment of a former dean to lead the university following the resignation of John Engler.
Engler was pushed to step down as interim president after making controversial comments about some victims of former sports doctor and convicted sex abuser Larry Nassar. Engler said Wednesday that he'd resign next week, but the Board of Trustees voted Thursday to make the resignation immediate .
The board appointed Satish Udpa to replace him. Udpa is the school's executive vice president for administration and spent seven years as the dean of the College of Engineering.
Udpa is being praised by at-large members of Michigan State's Steering Committee and Faculty Senate. They called Udpa "a respected member of the MSU community" and thanked him for accepting the challenge of leading the school.
The group says Udpa could count on them to "do everything possible" to make the transition to president successful.