Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts, has announced that its president has resigned in the wake of claims that he sent sexually explicit texts to many cadets at the US Coast Guard Academy while employed there. It has also been claimed that the president offered students preferential treatment.
The Board of Trustees accepted President Glenn Sulmasy’s resignation “effective immediately,” according to a notice posted on the school’s website Tuesday afternoon.
“The President’s resignation comes amid the College’s third-party investigation, initiated after allegations of misconduct when he served at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy were first reported by CNN,” a statement from the school read. “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 resignation comes as Sulmasy is accused of exchanging over 1,600 texts with various United States Coast Guard Academy cadets, some of which included explicit content and others insinuating academic favouritism, according to the Worcester Business Journal.
CNN originally reported in July that Sulmasy told one student not to pursue a rape claim against another cadet, forcing the institution to launch an investigation. The texts and further charges of wrongdoing surfaced months later.
Sulmasy’s lawyer, Jeffrey Robbins, told CNN at the time that the communications were shared consensually.
The school stated that a third-party investigator, Clifford & Kenny, LLP, will provide a formal report of their confidential and impartial study soon, but it will not be made public.
Bill Pieczynski, Vice President for Advancement, is serving as interim president while the college searches for a new president.
Sulmasy began his service as president of Nichols College on July 1, 2021, according to a statement on the Nichols website. He formerly served as Bryant University’s provost and chief academic officer.
Sulmasy graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy, where he also taught law and oversaw the humanities department. He left the Coast Guard in 2015 with the rank of captain.
According to the Worcester Business Journal, Sulmasy was forbidden from contacting anyone at Nichols during the investigation. He is also forbidden from entering the campus of the United States Coast Guard Academy.
A spokeswoman for Nichols College told Fox News Digital that they were no longer in communication with Sulmasy.
