Upon taking over as AD, Beekman stepped down as VP & Secretary of the MSU Board of TrusteesMICHIGAN STATE UNIV.
Michigan State yesterday promoted Bill Beekman to AD, contradicting what interim school President John Engler said in a Feb. 5 release that the university would "conduct a nationwide search and 'that no internal candidates will be considered in the search process,'" according to Chris Solari of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Beekman takes over at a "tumultuous time." Engler said that support from football coach Mark Dantonio and men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo, along with "unanimous approval from the Board of Trustees, contributed to the decision to make Beekman permanent now rather than waiting for the university to hire a new full-time president." Upon taking over as full-time AD yesterday, Beekman "stepped down" as VP & Secretary of the MSU BOT, a position he held since '08 (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 7/17). ESPN.com's Dan Murrphy noted Engler cited Beekman's "'calming presence' and his ability to handle legal and business matters as reasons for offering him the job." Beekman said that he "plans to be 'laser-focused' on the success of student-athletes." He added that the university and the athletic department "must do better to build a culture that places a priority on health, safety and wellness" in the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal, which he referred to as "some of the 'darkest' years in Michigan State history" (ESPN.com, 7/16).
NOT WITHOUT CONTROVERSY: In Detroit, David Jesse in a front-page piece notes Beekman's hire has "riled up" those, including Nassar survivors, who "see the move as just another example of MSU circling the wagons and keeping everything in house." Beekman has "never been involved in any athletics administration." Engler said that Beekman is therefore an "outsider," a hiring move he "did deliberately" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 7/17). MSU trustee Brian Mosallam extolled Beekman's "character and integrity while pushing back against the perception that this decision is just one more example of an incestuous problem in East Lansing." Mosallam: "This Bill Beekman hire was not another good-ol’-boy network hire at Michigan State. This was legitimate. This grew organically from within. And I fully support him, 100 percent" (DETROIT NEWS, 7/17).
UNCERTAIN FUTURE: In Michigan, Graham Couch writes Beekman is "anything but an inspiring hire." He is a "deeply internal candidate from a school that’s promised external vision." He will be "seen as the choice of unpopular" Engler. There was "no way for MSU to win the press conference, especially with Engler dominating it." But Couch writes of MSU fans, "I can see why he’s appealing to them. He spent his life rooting for them." In terms of coaching, there is "no school in the country that has a stronger football-basketball tandem." But sustaining the "current level of national and regional relevance beyond Dantonio and Izzo is ... unlikely." And MSU just put the "future of its two prized sports largely in the hands of an unproven and unseasoned athletic administrator" (LANSING STATE JOURNAL, 7/17).
