By Corey Williams
(AP) â Mark Schlissel has been removed as president of the University of Michigan due to an alleged âinappropriate relationship with a university employee,â the school said Saturday on its website.
The removal was effective âimmediately,â the University of Michigan Board of Regents said, adding that members learned on Dec. 8, 2021, about the relationship from an anonymous complaint and that an investigation revealed that âover the years,â Schlissel used his university email account to âcommunicate with that subordinate in a manner inconsistent with the dignity and reputation of the university.â
âAs you know, the Regents received an anonymous complaint regarding an alleged sexual affair between you and a subordinate,â the board wrote in its letter to Schlissel informing him of his removal. âAn investigation has revealed that your interactions with the subordinate were inconsistent with promoting the dignity and reputation of the University of Michigan.â
The Associated Press sent an email Saturday night to Schlisselâs university email to seek his comment, but it was not clear if he had access to the inbox anymore.
The letter from the board dated Saturday included excerpts of emails exchanged between Schlissel and the employee.
The employee wrote in a July 1, 2021, exchange that her âheart hurts,â according to the board, which said Schlissel responded: âI know. mine too.â He continued: âThis is my faultâ and that he was âin pain too.â
The board also wrote that on Jan. 9, 2021, the subordinate employee said, âOh yes!â in an email to Schlissel. His response was âlove it when you say that.â
Copies of emails with the recipientâs name redacted were included in Saturdayâs announcement on the schoolâs website. One dated Jan. 12 was about an August 2019 article from The New Yorker titled âSexual Fantasies of Everyday New Yorkers.â
Schlissel had a base salary of $927,000 a year. He announced last October that he would step down in June 2023, a year before his contract was to expire.
Former University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman has been appointed interim president. Schlisselâs removal and Colemanâs appointment will be affirmed during the boardâs Feb. 17 formal session.
Schlissel succeeded Coleman as president in January 2014. He had been provost at Brown University.