Lou Anna Simon, Michigan State president, resigns in wake of Larry Nassar scandal
Michigan State University president Lou Anna Simon answers a question after being confronted by former gymnast Lidsey Lemke during a break in the sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar on Jan. 17, 2018, in Lansing, Mich. Credit: Getty Images / Scott Olson
Michigan State President Lou Anna Simon has announced that she is resigning.
Simon is stepping down in the wake of a scandal involving Larry Nassar, who worked at Michigan State as a medical doctor. Nassar was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison for molesting young girls and women under the guise of medical treatment.
Many of the victims accused the university of mishandling past complaints about Nassar.
Simon released a statement, saying as tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable and acknowledged she was a natural focus of the anger as president.
Simon, who earned her doctorate at Michigan State in 1974, was promoted to school president in 2005.
