Though he will remain on as faculty member
The dean of Virginia Commonwealth University’s school of arts, who was recently the target of a lawsuit by a professor accused of racism, is resigning from his position.
Shawn Brixey “is stepping down from his role as dean of VCUarts, effective Monday, according to a statement from the university,” The Commonwealth Times reports.
Brixey was lately the target of a lawsuit brought by arts professor Javier Tapia. Tapia had been accused by a fellow faculty member, Caitlin Cherry, of racial discrimination; he was eventually found innocent of that charge, but the school suspended him anyway. Tapia eventually filed suit against Brixey and several other university officials; that lawsuit was recently dismissed “by mutual agreement.”
According to The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Brixey in an email said that “speculation about his departure being tied to Tapia’s lawsuit” was “baseless and has nothing to do with the decision.”
The Commonwealth Times reports that “Nancy Scott, associate dean, has been appointed acting dean until an interim dean is named. A national search will be conducted over the next several weeks to permanently fill the position, but the school has not specified when a new dean will be hired.”
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