Brian Breslin on hiatus from Snyder's office to focus on Michigan State investigations
Justin A. Hinkley
LANSING - Michigan State University board Chairman Brian Breslin has taken a leave from his day job in Gov. Rick Snyder's office to focus on the university's ongoing fallout over the Larry Nassar scandal.
He'll be gone up to 90 days.
Snyder spokeswoman Anna Heaton this morning confirmed Breslin's leave of absence, which was first reported Monday by the political newsletter Michigan Information & Research Service. Breslin, who has been on the MSU board since 2011 and its chairman since January 2017, is Snyder's appointments manager. State Civil Service Rules allow employees to take 30 to 90 days of unpaid time off under certain circumstances.
Snyder is considering action against the university board for the way it responded to allegations against Nassar, a former MSU physician who has been sentenced to decades in prison for sexually assaulting patients and others. The governor, who has the power to remove elected officials from office, has said he hopes not to remove the MSU trustees.
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In a written statement, Breslin said his state and university jobs weren't in conflict, but "my first priority is to fulfill my statewide elected responsibilities as a MSU Trustee."
MSU is under investigation by the Michigan Attorney General's Office, the Legislature, Congress, the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Education for the way it responded to allegations against Nassar, some of which date back to the 1990s.
The board also is searching for a replacement for former MSU president Lou Anna Simon, who resigned last month amid the scandal.
Former Republican Michigan governor John Engler is acting as MSU's interim president, with former Democratic governor James Blanchard as a senior adviser.
“The Board will comply fully with the investigation of the special prosecutor, and with an interim president in place and a search for a new president just beginning, I will be helping the university move forward, with a focus on healing and the concerns of every survivor who has been affected,” Breslin said in a statement.
Breslin announced last month he won't seek reelection after his term ends this year. He said he'd made that decision in 2016.
Former governor John Engler spoke after being appointed interim president:
Contact Justin A. Hinkley at (517) 377-1195 or jhinkley@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinHinkley. Sign up for his email newsletter, SoM Weekly, at on.lsj.com/somsignup.