"Since our June meeting, there have been several significant events that have happened, including yesterday’s announcement of the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights findings and the Clery Audit summary. These investigations were an independent, comprehensive review that provide Michigan State University with a blueprint for moving forward on making necessary changes and improvements. The findings also highlight some of the failures and weaknesses that we need to be accountable for.
Also since the June meeting, the board has continued discussing the scope of work for McDermott, Will and Emory. Unfortunately, we are split on defining the scope of work and we have made the decision to not move forward with a letter of engagement at this time.
However, we are united behind our new president and his efforts to fully comply with the requirements laid out in these recent federal investigations. The university is committed to complying to the findings 100 percent and that is where we will focus our efforts in the coming months."
—Dianne Byrum, Chairperson, Board of Trustees