stepped down from his position Thursday in the wake of harassment allegations plaguing the department.
An email written by Grant to sociology faculty and graduate students was obtained by the Daily Camera and relayed Grant’s resignation.
“While I had planned to finish out my four year term, I am no longer able or willing to stay on another year given present circumstances and believe I can more effectively advance the department’s interests in other capacities,” the email said. “Therefore, I will be stepping away from my position effective July 1. The department is responsible for finding my replacement and following its bylaws in selecting a successor. I will do my utmost to facilitate a smooth transition in leadership.”
In an email to the Daily Camera, Grant confirmed his resignation and added that it had nothing to do with “recent false harassment allegations.”
“I have thought of doing this for the past several months, long before any of these false rumors of harassment within the department were spread and published in the Camera,” Grant wrote. “The reason I have been considering this is that I want to focus my time on creating six new dual degree programs and two undergraduate certificate programs. Working on these important projects while also serving as chair has been time-consuming and slowed down that process…And no one asked me to resign. I’m doing this because I want to have the most positive impact possible for the department and I believe my best role will be as a professor designing these new academic programs.”
