After 43 years at Rowan U. as a coach and administrator, Dan Gilmore is retiring. His departure follows the completion of a human-resources investigation that was triggered by gender-equity complaints.
Months after charges of sexism and bullying roiled Rowan University’s athletics department, Dan Gilmore will retire as athletics director, the president announced on Wednesday.
Ali A. Houshmand, president of the New Jersey university, said in a written statement that Gilmore’s retirement, after 43 years at Rowan as a coach and administrator, followed the completion of a human-resources investigation that was triggered by gender-equity complaints.
Joe Cardona, a spokesman for the university, said in an email that “Dan was not asked to retire.” He would not expound, however, on whether Gilmore could have stayed on if he had wanted to do so.
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Rowan U.
After 43 years at Rowan U. as a coach and administrator, Dan Gilmore is retiring. His departure follows the completion of a human-resources investigation that was triggered by gender-equity complaints.
Months after charges of sexism and bullying roiled Rowan University’s athletics department, Dan Gilmore will retire as athletics director, the president announced on Wednesday.
Ali A. Houshmand, president of the New Jersey university, said in a written statement that Gilmore’s retirement, after 43 years at Rowan as a coach and administrator, followed the completion of a human-resources investigation that was triggered by gender-equity complaints.
Joe Cardona, a spokesman for the university, said in an email that “Dan was not asked to retire.” He would not expound, however, on whether Gilmore could have stayed on if he had wanted to do so.
Gilmore did not immediately respond to an email and phone message seeking comment.
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John Giannini, founding director of Rowan’s Center for Sports Communication and Social Impact and a former basketball coach, has been named interim athletic director, effective immediately.
Rowan, a public university that is just south of Philadelphia, entered the national spotlight this past fall, when female athletes complained that they had been banned from wearing sports bras without shirts because their bodies distracted men on the football team.
A student’s blog post about the ban sparked international outrage, as some readers accused the university of promoting “rape culture.” Under siege, the university said that there would henceforth be no restrictions on sports bras.
A Chronicle investigation of the incident, based on public records, interviews, and secret audio recordings, suggested deeper problems in the athletics department. Students and employees accused Gilmore of bullying, and some of his tirades were captured on audio.
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There were concerns about other athletics employees, too. A Title IX inquiry found that Jay Accorsi, the head football coach, was not credible in an interview with an investigator that focused on his complaints about the sports bras and an inappropriate comment made by a member of his team.
The investigation also found that Gilmore and Penny Kempf, the associate athletics director, had failed to report potentially harassing or discriminatory behavior to the Office of Equity and Diversity.
Cardona would not say whether any employees had been disciplined but said that Accorsi and Kempf “remain in their positions for the foreseeable future.”
The Title IX investigation, despite raising concerns about the department’s handling of complaints, concluded that the sports-bra episode did not constitute a violation of the federal gender-equity law.
An external consultant’s review of Rowan’s athletics department is expected to be completed by the end of June.
Jack Stripling was a senior writer at The Chronicle, where he covered college leadership, particularly presidents and governing boards. Follow him on Twitter @jackstripling.
