The Faculty Senate will debate a resolution to censure University President Thomas LeBlanc over the appointment of Heather Swain at its meeting Friday.
Swain, who was hired last month as the new vice president for communications and marketing, withdrew her offer after widespread criticism from students and faculty in light of her involvement in a sexual assault case during her time at Michigan State University. LeBlanc apologized for the hiring, saying he “deeply” regrets it, but some GW community members have begun calling for LeBlanc’s resignation since then.
If approved, the Faculty Senate would censure LeBlanc for “violating the core principles of the George Washington University” through Swain’s appointment and call for the Board of Trustees to sustain the censure as well, according to the resolution.
The resolution also calls for LeBlanc to provide a “full and complete accounting” of the vetting process that resulted in Swain’s appointment and to present to the senate a process for vetting all future high-level administrative appointments that will “ensure the core values of the University are never again abrogated.”
Philip Wirtz, the faculty senator who sponsored the resolution and a professor of decision sciences and psychology, did not return multiple requests for comment.
