Michigan State chooses Stony Brook president as next leader

LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - A new president of Michigan State University has been named Tuesday. 

The Board of Trustees introduced Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr. as the new president at a morning board meeting. He's a medical researcher who has led Stony Brook University in New York for nearly a decade. Stanley was chosen in an 8-0 vote by the school's board of trustees, effective Aug. 1.

He's joining a long list of people who have been appointed to lead the university after fallout from the school's handling of the sexual abuse of once-renowned sports physician Larry Nassar, which stretched back decades.

Stanley Jr. is taking over for Dr. Satish Udpa, a university administrator, who was named interim president after the turbulent leadership of former Gov. John Engler. Engler helped to broker a $500 million settlement with victims but was ousted in January, however, amid backlash over his comments about some of Nassar's victims.

The final straw for the university's governing board was when Engler told The Detroit News that Nassar's victims had been in the "spotlight" and are "still enjoying that moment at times, you know, the awards and recognition."

Stanley will be the fourth man to lead the school since former president Lou Anna Simon stepped down. She's accused of and is facing charges for lying to police during the criminal investigation into Nassar. 

Simon was president in 2014 when Nassar was suspended amid a school investigation that resulted in no findings. She attended one of the six days of testimony, said she was lied to and misled like everyone else.

Simon resigned as president on Jan. 24, 2018 - the same day Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in Ingham County for sexual abuse. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report