Ex-MSU President To Get Office In Newly Renovated Building
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Former Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon will have an office in a newly renovated campus building after resigning amid the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal.
Simon, who remains a tenured professor, is slated to relocate to Wills House once its nearly $1 million renovation is complete, the Lansing State Journal reported . Her husband, Roy Simon, who serves as senior adviser to the executive vice president for administrative services, will also have an office inside the historic house on the East Lansing campus, according to university spokeswoman Emily Guerrant.
Simon's post-presidency benefits kicked in with her resignation Jan. 24, the same day Nassar, the university's former sports doctor, was imprisoned 40 to 175 years for sexually abusing young athletes over more than two decades.
The employment contract outlines that Simon could earn her full $750,000 presidential salary during a one-year research leave and the following year as a faculty member. Subsequent years, she can earn 75 percent of that amount, or $562,500, annually.
It also requires the university to provide Simon with a suitable office and secretarial services if she returns to the faculty, reported the Detroit News .
Guerrant said she didn't know whether Simon asked to have an office in Wills House or if the building was chosen based on available space. The renovations totaling more than $977,000 began in November to update the kitchenette with new appliances, improve handicapped accessibility and install new flooring and paint.
Work is nearly complete, Guerrant said.
Michigan House lawmakers announced this week that they're working to introduce bipartisan legislation stemming from Michigan State University's failures highlighted in the Nassar case. House members have said that more changes are needed to protect sexual abuse victims and to prevent future sexual assault.
Some have recommended giving the governor authority to remove officials from the State Board of Education and university governing bodies.
"After reviewing the evidence, there is absolutely no doubt that Michigan State University failed to adequately protect students and patients on campus," Rep. Klint Kesto said.