John Engler will resign as interim president of Michigan State University, multiple sources told the Free Press on Wednesday.

The move comes hours after the board set a special meeting for early Thursday morning with the intent to fire him, the sources said.

Engler has been under heavy criticism for the past year, since he took over for Lou Anna Simon, who herself resigned under heavy criticism for her handling of the Larry Nassar sexual assaults scandal.

Members of the Michigan State Board of Trustees were scheduled to discuss Engler's future at the school Thursday morning after he said in an interview last week that some of Nassar's victims are "enjoying the spotlight."

Engler's comments Friday in an interview with the Detroit News editorial board drew immediate criticism from survivors and others. He was discussing a program called the Healing Assistance Fund, which will focus on helping victims who weren't part of the $500 million settlement, according to the News.

"You’ve got people, they are hanging on and this has been … there are a lot of people who are touched by this, survivors who haven’t been in the spotlight," Engler told the Detroit News. "In some ways, they have been able to deal with this better than the ones who’ve been in the spotlight who are still enjoying that moment at times, you know, the awards and recognition. And it’s ending. It’s almost done.”

Thursday's special open meeting was scheduled for 8 a.m.

"John Engler's reign of terror is over," said board member Brian Mosallam, who has been pushing for Engler's departure for nearly a year. "Michigan State University will be returned to its people."

Dianne Y. Byrum, elected chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, called the remarks "ill advised and not helpful to the healing process, survivors, or the university,” according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Like Simon, much of Engler's tenure has been taken up with fallout from the Nassar scandal and heavy criticism from survivors of Nassar's sexual abuse. Engler survived a motion to fire him this summer, but the criticism hasn't abated.

In the interview with the News, Engler said he's done with investigating how the university handled the Nassar case and officials are "trying to go back to work."

Rachael Denhollander, who was the first to come forward publicly about sexual abuse allegations against Nassar, was among those who questioned Engler's leadership after his interview with the News.

"Engler references survivors enjoying their time in the spotlight," Denhollander tweeted. "You mean, like having to change the day I grocery shop so my 3 kids don't see a photo of their mom demonstrating what was done to her body? Tell me more about how enjoyable this spotlight is.

Read more:

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"He's been at this a year, he's doing it on purpose. He was brought in to do this. And if you can't trust your president's character or wisdom enough to let him speak publicly, he probably shouldn't be in charge."

Ongoing criticism

Since taking over Jan. 31, 2018, Engler has drawn criticism for a number of what his critics saw as missteps.

Among them:

"We believe the board should fire Engler," MSU faculty member Anna Pegler Gordon, representing the group ReclaimMSU, said during public comment at the Jan. 9 board meeting. She said the group believes Engler has repeatedly lied and been unsympathetic to Nassar survivors.

Engler's reaction

Engler said he knows he has upset some people and said he would have done something things differently. But he believes he has set the university up for the next president to have a "clean slate" when that person starts.

As for the disagreements and tension? Some of that comes from him not being used to being in a university environment. It's different, he told the Free Press in mid-January, in little things, like who sees his communications.

"Wouldn't be emailing," he said. "As governor, I didn't have to worry about FOIA (public records laws). Unfortunately, everything at a university is subject to FOIA."

It also manifested in big things — such as his style and approach.

"It was a hyper-charged environment," he said. "There was a lot of pressure going on. I ended up becoming the lighting rod because I'm the guy making a lot of decisions. But at the same time, somebody had to do it."

Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj