Nichols president resigns amid investigation into handling of sex assault at earlier job
DUDLEY — Glenn Sulmasy, the Nichols College president who has been the subject of sexual misconduct allegations while working at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, has resigned from his post, the school announced Tuesday afternoon.
The college said the board accepted his resignation, which follows CNN reports about the allegations, as well as information learned by the school during its internal investigation into Sulmasy’s time at the service academy.
“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 school’s announcement said.
Sulmasy had previously been accused of mishandling a case of sexual assault while working as an academic attorney at the service academy in New London, Connecticut. He was also accused of “sexting” with a former student and verbally harassing another.
Jeffrey S. Robbins, Sulmasy’s attorney, was not immediately available to comment on the resignation but had previously disputed the allegations.
The school previously confirmed Sulmasy’s leave and the internal investigation in September.
In its announcement, the school said it hired Clifford & Kenny as the college’s third-party investigator. The law office out of Pembroke would soon issue a formal report of its confidential and independent review, the school said, but it does not intend to share this report publicly.
More: Nichols College president on leave amid investigation into past handling of abuse reports
Sulmasy had previously been barred from having contact with Nichols faculty, students or staff, and was also banned from entering the grounds of the Coast Guard Academy.
He previously worked as a provost of Bryant University before becoming president at Nichols in 2021.
While working at Bryant in 2016, Coast Guard officials contacted the school to revoke their previous recommendations of Sulmasy for the job following the results of an internal investigation, CNN reported previously.
He was then put on probation, but it is not clear if Bryant made Nichols aware of the concerns raised by the Coast Guard officials, the CNN report also said.
It was also previously reported that Coast Guard attorneys found “strong” evidence against Sulmasy that warranted prosecuting him in a military court-martial “for conduct unbecoming an officer and willful dereliction of duty” about eight months after he retired from the academy to take an administrator role at Bryant University in Rhode Island.
But Coast Guard leaders overruled the prosecutors, choosing not to press charges about Sulmasy and keeping the findings of the investigation from being made public.
Nichols said Vice President for Advancement Bill Pieczynski will continue acting as president. The college is expected to launch a national search for Sulmasy’s successor soon.
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This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Glenn Sulmasy, Nichols College president, resigns amid investigation
