University of Michigan fires Mark Schlissel as president, citing "alleged sexual affair" with school employee

Mark Schlissel has been removed as president of the University of Michigan due to an alleged "inappropriate relationship with a university employee," the school said Saturday on its website.

The removal was effective "immediately," the University of Michigan Board of Regents said, adding that members learned on Dec. 8, 2021, about the relationship from an anonymous complaint and that an investigation revealed that "over the years," Schlissel used his university email account to "communicate with that subordinate in a manner inconsistent with the dignity and reputation of the university."

"As you know, the Regents received an anonymous complaint regarding an alleged sexual affair between you and a subordinate," the board wrote in its letter to Schlissel sinforming him of his removal. "An investigation has revealed that your interactions with the subordinate were inconsistent with promoting the dignity and reputation of the University of Michigan."

The Associated Press sent an email Saturday night to Schlissel's university email to seek his comment, but it was not clear if he had access to the inbox anymore.

The letter from the board dated Saturday included excerpts of emails exchanged between Schlissel and the employee.

The university released 118 pages of redacted email correspondence allegedly between Schlissel and the school employee, who is referred to as "Individual 1."  

The employee wrote in a July 1, 2021, exchange that her "heart hurts," according to the board, which said Schlissel responded: "I know. mine too." He continued: "This is my fault" and that he was "in pain too."

The board also wrote that on Jan. 9, 2021, the subordinate employee said, "Oh yes!" in an email to Schlissel. His response was "love it when you say that."

Copies of emails with the recipient's name redacted were included in Saturday's announcement on the school's website. One dated Jan. 12 was about an August 2019 article from The New Yorker titled "Sexual Fantasies of Everyday New Yorkers."

Schlissel had a base salary of $927,000 a year. He announced last October that he would step down in June 2023, a year before his contract was to expire.

Former University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman has been appointed interim president. Schlissel's removal and Coleman's appointment will be affirmed during the board's Feb. 17 formal session.

Schlissel succeeded Coleman as president in January 2014. He had been provost at Brown University.  

"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."