Michigan Board of Regents fires Michigan President Dr. Mark Schlissel following investigation

The University of Michigan Board of Regents announced in a press release on Saturday night that they have officially removed Dr. Mark Schlissel as the President of the University of Michigan, effective immediately. The decision to fire him was made behind closed doors on Saturday morning, without a public vote, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The board has named former Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman as Interim President during the transition period. Coleman was the President at Michigan from 2002-2014.

“While saddened by the circumstances, I am honored to be asked to again serve the University of Michigan,” Coleman said in a statement. “When I left the U-M campus at the end of my presidency in 2014, I said serving this great university was the most rewarding experience of my professional life. I’m happy to serve again in this important interim role.”

The board explained the reasoning for firing Schlissel in the release, when they wrote: “On Dec. 8, 2021 via an anonymous complaint, we learned that Dr. Schlissel may have been involved in an inappropriate relationship with a University employee. After an investigation, we learned that Dr. Schlissel, over a period of years, used his University email account to communicate with that subordinate in a manner inconsistent with the dignity and reputation of the University.” The information released on Saturday night did not reveal the identity of the person.

The board also hired an outside firm to investigate Schlissel’s actions, and to look into whether or not he had violated the University’s supervisor relationship policy.

The policy was put into place in July 2021, following the news that Martin Philbert, the former provost, had been using his position for years to coerce women who worked for him into sexual relationships.

In November 2020, the University of Michigan reached a $9 million settlement with eight different women who were sexually harassed by Philbert. A few members of the board were very upset with Schlissel’s handling of that case.

Schlissel was hired by Michigan in 2014. In 2018, the board extended his contract for five years. The board was already deeply divided over Schlissel’s performance for the past few years, well before the recent anonymous e-mail complaint.

Besides the other issues discussed above, many members of the board were also upset with his handling of Covid-19 issues at the University. There were a number of other issues the board had with his leadership that are outlined by David Jesse of the Detroit Free Press. Schlissel was going to step down in June 2023, one year before his contract expired, according to the Detroit Free Press.

We’ll see where the leadership at the University of Michigan moves from here forward. Choosing a good president is always a critical decision, and that importance is stressed even more at a place like Michigan, one of the biggest brands in college athletics.