Citing public safety concerns, Michigan State University has denied a request by a white nationalist group to host an event on campus next month, the university announced Thursday afternoon.

The decision comes one day after MSU President Lou Anna Simon announced that the university had received a request from the National Policy Institute to rent space to accommodate a speaker on campus in mid-September.

In a statement, the university said it reached its decision after consulting law enforcement.

"This decision was made due to significant concerns about public safety in the wake of the tragic violence in Charlottesville last weekend," the statement said.

The policy institute describes itself as an "organization dedicated to the heritage, identity, and future of people of European descent in the United States, and around the world."

Richard Spencer, the group's president, spoke last weekend at a rally in Charlottesville during which protesters rallied against plans by the city to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

The event turned violent, with clashes between the white nationalists and counter protesters. One woman died and 19 were injured when a man with views sympathetic to Nazis plowed his car into a group of counter protesters, according to news reports.

This week, two other universities -- Texas A&M and University of Florida -- opted against hosting events involving Spencer or the National Policy Institute in the wake of Charlottesville.

Lorenzo Santavicca, student body president of the Associated Students of Michigan State University, said he supports the university's decision.

"It's too close for comfort for this group to come to campus after what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the past weekend," he said. "I'm really glad that Michigan State put values of our spartan community over that message in showing what matters more to our community at this point in time."