LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — After months of pressure, a $2 million investigation, and a boardroom revolt, Michigan State University’s most controversial trustees are staying put.

Whitmer “reviewed the request” but Denno and Vassar stay.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declined to remove Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno from the MSU Board of Trustees, despite a formal request from the board and faculty leadership. In a letter dated May 31, Whitmer’s legal counsel said the governor had “reviewed the request carefully” but would not proceed.

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“The denial of the request by no means indicates a condoning of the conduct alleged,” Deputy Legal Counsel Amy Lishinski wrote. “Other considerations related to the Governor’s removal authority weigh against removal under these circumstances at this time.”

The letter, however, offered no details on those considerations, and Whitmer, an MSU graduate, did not to elaborate. Vassar and Denno—both Democrats—fought the censure in March and maintain they did nothing wrong.

Allegations of unethical behavior.

The ethics report, conducted by Washington-based Miller & Chevalier, followed ten allegations raised by Trustee Brianna Scott. The investigation found that Vassar and Denno interfered with university operations, attempted to influence investigations, and undermined interim leadership. Vassar also accepted a private jet ride and courtside tickets from a donor.

In fact, Vassar resigned as board chair just two hours before the vote, with her attorneys calling the investigation “deeply flawed and unnecessarily divisive.”

A pending court case.

Former Faculty Senate Chair Jack Lipton, who pushed for the trustees’ removal, later filed a federal lawsuit accusing Vassar and Denno of retaliation. A judge allowed parts of the case to proceed last week.

“Political considerations appear to have outweighed a clear call for accountability  from the majority of Michigan State’s Board of Trustees,” Lipton told The Detroit News after the governor’s decision.

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Removal would have required a formal hearing — a process last used by a Michigan governor in 2008.

For now, both trustees remain in office.