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The Juilliard School fired a professor after it found “credible evidence” that he had “engaged in conduct which interfered with individuals’ academic work,” according to a letter sent to students and faculty members, The New York Times reported.
The professor was Robert Beaser, who served as chair of the composition department from 1994 to 2018. The letter said he had behaved in a manner that was “inconsistent with Juilliard’s commitment to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for its students.” Juilliard did not provide details but said the investigation had found evidence of a past “unreported relationship” and that Beaser had “repeatedly misrepresented facts about his actions.”
The concerns involved incidents from the late 1990s and the early 2000s.
The investigation started after VAN Magazine reported in December that students said he had sexually harassed them.
Richard C. Schoenstein, a lawyer for Beaser, said the relationship in question took place 30 years ago, had been known to Juilliard since then and had been the subject of previous inquiries. He called the school’s findings “unspecific and unattributed” and said that Beaser would “pursue his legal rights in full.”
“Dr. Beaser is shocked and dismayed by Juilliard’s conclusions and actions,” Schoenstein said.
