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Glenn Sulmasy resigned as president of Nichols College Tuesday, two months after CNN first reported on his alleged role in a sexual assault scandal in his prior job at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and amid an investigation by Nichols into his behavior. The college’s Board of Trustees accepted his resignation, Nichols said in announcing Sulmasy’s immediate departure.
“In light of these reports and facts uncovered to date during the college’s ongoing investigation, and their impact on President Sulmasy’s ability to lead Nichols College, the board strongly believes the institution’s best interest is to pursue new leadership,” the Nichols statement said.
Sulmasy took a voluntary leave of absence last month, citing a CNN report in July about allegations of rape made by a young female Coast Guard officer, prompting a public apology by the academy’s leaders. Among the allegations in the CNN report were that the female officer had been discouraged by two lawyers for the academy from pursuing the rape allegations further and advised to focus on graduating instead. CNN identified Sulmasy, a law professor at the academy, as one of those lawyers but reported that both he and the other lawyer had disputed the accusation.
In late September, CNN reported separately that a Coast Guard investigation into the reported sexual assaults had uncovered more than 1,600 text messages between Sulmasy and a female student that were sexually suggestive or flirtatious. Sulmasy appeared to offer good grades and show favoritism for engaging in sexual banter, according to a Coast Guard memo obtained by the news network. The Coast Guard Academy banned Sulmasy from its campus last month.
Nichols said in its statement that its third-party investigator would soon issue a formal report of its confidential and independent review. “Nichols does not intend to share this report publicly,” its officials said.
