Dive Brief:
- Lincoln University's president, Robert Jennings, resigned Monday, less than a month after controversial remarks he made about sexual assault came to light, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
- Jennings has been replaced for now by Valerie Harrison, the university’s general counsel.
- Harrison announced that a task force on sexual misconduct, made up of faculty, staff, and students, will develop recommendations for educational and other measures on the issue, and thought leaders on gender equity and sexual violence issues will be invited to speak on campus.
Dive Insight:
Jennings had become an embarrassment to the university after his remarks to a convocation of female students in September appeared on YouTube. In his speech, Jennings appeared to blame women for bad treatment from men, and to cast doubt on sexual assaults reported by women. Jennings initially defended the remarks, but later apologized for them. Faculty and alumni had passed no-confidence votes against him recently, and the university board announced about a week ago that it would conduct an internal review of Jennings’ presidency.