ANN ARBOR, Mich. – On Saturday, University of Michigan President Dr. Mark Schlissel was fired after being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.
The Board of Regents made the unanimous decision behind closed doors this weekend, releasing emails the former president sent the woman from his university account.
More: University of Michigan releases 118-page document of emails after vote to fire Schlissel
“I think this is a tough time for everybody, there has been a lot of loss in trust over the past few years,” said professor Allen Liu, faculty senate chair. “I had a chance to quickly glance through the emails myself and certainly can pick up sort of the inappropriateness of that relationship.”
Liu counsels university executives on internal governance. After University of Michigan provost Martin Philbert was fired for sexual misconduct, Liu worked closely with Dr. Schlissel about the university’s next steps.
“He expressed many, many times how disgusted he was by the former provost’s actions. I had never imagined in my life that, you know, he would have, you know, has similar behaviors,” said Liu.
Philbert was fired and the former president had advocated for policy reforms regarding sexual and gender-based misconduct.
“I don’t know what’s going on in his mind. You know, when he says things like that and really doesn’t doesn’t fit the university value. And, you know, just very disappointing,” said Liu.
Signs have been up outside the President’s House for months in support of the victims of Dr. Robert Anderson. Now the president himself is no longer welcome at the house after someone made an anonymous tip.
Read back: ‘Hail to the victims’: Dozens protest outside University of Michigan president’s Ann Arbor home
“The fact that the anonymous tip went straight to the regents itself is actually a big step,” said Liu. “The process was very swift, they received this tip back in early December and they worked really quickly on the investigations.”
Dr. Schlissel was planning to step down next year. The Board has named former school president Mary Sue Coleman as Interim President for now as the search for Schlissel’s replacement has been accelerated.
“My hope is that, you know, the next president would have the highest integrity. we have had leadership in the recent years that have not live up to the values of the university, you know, they can say one thing and they do something different. You know, this, to me now becomes a sort of a most important criteria of our next president,” said Liu.