Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    Hands-On Career Preparation
    An AI-Driven Work Force
    Alternative Pathways
Sign In
Leadership

East Carolina U.’s Interim Chancellor Is Placed on Leave After Drinking at Student Hangout

By Lauren Fisher September 30, 2019
Dan Gerlach, interim chancellor of East Carolina U., talks with students at the student center on its main campus.
Dan Gerlach, interim chancellor of East Carolina U., talks with students at the student center on its main campus.East Carolina U.

East Carolina University’s interim chancellor has been placed on administrative leave after photographs and videos showed him drinking, dancing, and socializing at a bar in Greenville, N.C., known to be frequented by students.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Dan Gerlach, interim chancellor of East Carolina U., talks with students at the student center on its main campus.
Dan Gerlach, interim chancellor of East Carolina U., talks with students at the student center on its main campus.East Carolina U.

East Carolina University’s interim chancellor has been placed on administrative leave after photographs and videos showed him drinking, dancing, and socializing at a bar in Greenville, N.C., known to be frequented by students.

On Sunday the city’s NBC affiliate, WITN, reported that Dan Gerlach had been seen dancing and getting close to bar patrons in a series of Instagram and Snapchat posts that drew thousands of views. In multiple photos obtained by WITN, Gerlach has his arm around women at the bar.

But in a written statement to WITN, Gerlach said he was just trying to be “approachable.”

“When I first started here, and even before, one constant concern that I heard was that our students needed a leader of the university to be present and approachable, someone who can speak to them in their language,” Gerlach said. “That’s what I’ve set out to do at ECU. I regret that these photos are being perceived as anything more than what they are.”

Gerlach, who has been interim chancellor since May, recently expressed interest in serving on a permanent basis, at a Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce meeting. He took office after his predecessor was forced out by the University of North Carolina system’s president.

An East Carolina spokeswoman said the university would not comment on the situation. In a written statement to WITN, the university’s interim chief communications officer, Jeannine Manning Hutson, said Gerlach had been at a Greenville hot-dog restaurant on September 25 when he ran into two acquaintances who invited him to a local bar.

“Gerlach is known for taking selfies with students, staff, and faculty, on and off campus,” Hutson said. “The videos and photos that WITN received show Gerlach interacting with college-aged young adults and taking selfies.”

Members of the university’s leadership, however, expressed alarm about the interim chancellor’s conduct.

“This is very concerning without question,” a member of ECU’s Board of Trustees, Robert B. Moore, told WITN.

The UNC Board of Governors’ chairman, Harry L. Smith Jr., told WITN he had received “multiple parent, faculty, and staff phone calls” with complaints about Gerlach’s conduct.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I would ask that everyone please reserve judgment and allow a proper process and review by the system office and the president, who are aware of the issue,” Smith told WITN.

The owner of Club 519, the bar in question, expressed support for Gerlach on Twitter, telling one reporter that several patrons had been “kind of excited to see the chancellor out and in the bar.”

“It really is a damn shame,” the bar’s owner wrote. “The guy came in with some off-duty cops to have some beer. Just wrong place, wrong time.”

Lauren Fisher is an editorial intern at The Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter @lauren__fisher, or email her at lfisher@chronicle.com.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Leadership & Governance
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Content

As East Carolina Chancellor Resigns, One Board Member Accuses Chair of Forcing Him Out
As East Carolina Chancellor Resigns, One Board Member Accuses Chair of Forcing Him Out

More News

Graphic vector illustration of a ship with education-like embellishments being tossed on a black sea with a Kraken-esque elephant trunk ascending from the depth against a stormy red background.
Creeping concerns
Most Colleges Aren’t a Target of Trump (Yet). Here’s How Their Presidents Are Leading.
Photo-based illustration of calendars on a wall (July, August and September) with a red line marking through most of the dates
'A Creative Solution'
Facing Federal Uncertainty, Swarthmore Makes a Novel Plan: the 3-Month Budget
Marva Johnson is set to take the helm of Florida A&M University this summer.
Leadership & governance
‘Surprising': A DeSantis-Backed Lobbyist Is Tapped to Lead Florida A&M
Students and community members protest outside of Coffman Memorial Union at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
Campus Activism
One Year After the Encampments, Campuses Are Quieter and Quicker to Stop Protests

From The Review

Glenn Loury in Providence, R.I. on May 7, 2024.
The Review | Conversation
Glenn Loury on the ‘Barbarians at the Gates’
By Evan Goldstein, Len Gutkin
Illustration showing a valedictorian speaker who's tassel is a vintage microphone
The Review | Opinion
A Graduation Speaker Gets Canceled
By Corey Robin
Illustration showing a stack of coins and a university building falling over
The Review | Opinion
Here’s What Congress’s Endowment-Tax Plan Might Cost Your College
By Phillip Levine

Upcoming Events

Ascendium_06-10-25_Plain.png
Views on College and Alternative Pathways
Coursera_06-17-25_Plain.png
AI and Microcredentials
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin