Editorial: Bill Beekman deserves a chance to be what MSU athletics needs

LSJ Editorial Board

Like most decisions coming out of Michigan State University these days, the hiring of Bill Beekman as athletic director last week came under instant scrutiny.

Campus community members are understandably concerned that the long-time vice president and secretary to the Board of Trustees may be too much of an insider, and therefore incapable of bringing about the culture change MSU so desperately needs.

To address those concerns, Beekman must:

Bring real consequences to those on staff who fail – or have failed – to properly handle reports of sexual assault, especially to anyone found to have put athletics ahead of student safety.
Shine the light on what’s being done to create real, meaningful culture change in athletic programs where accusations of sexual misconduct have continued to be a problem even outside of the Larry Nassar scandal.
End the lax enforcement of university financial policies in athletics that were repeatedly identified by internal auditors under his predecessor.
Maintain the highest level of transparency possible to put students first and help MSU rebuild its reputation.

Beekman is known as a professional administrator, with a reputation for concern about who’s being affected and attention to detail in administrative processes.

His time serving the Board of Trustees – and stints as both interim president and interim athletic director following the resignations of Lou Anna Simon and Mark Hollis – only lend weight to his credibility and the argument that he can successfully fill this role.

He deserves a chance.

What the campus community deserves is a professional leader who does more than sweep the past under the rug.

Is Beekman the best choice for holding the position long term? Perhaps not. However he could be exactly what is needed to turn Michigan State into a leader in responsible athletics management and help restore university’s reputation as a whole.

– an LSJ editorial

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The LSJ Editorial Board speaks for the LSJ as an institution. Editorials do not carry an individual byline because stances on issues are never decided by one person. Contact the board by emailing opinions@lsj.com.