President Placed on Leave for “Inappropriate” Conduct

Cape Cod Community College placed former president John Cox on paid administrative leave last October after receiving “credible, serious reports and a subsequent formal complaint of inappropriate and unprofessional conduct,” the Board of Trustees revealed Friday in a message to the college community.

Cox announced his resignation on March 16, effective immediately, after leading the college for roughly 14 years.

The board noted that it had hired “experienced external investigators” to look into the president’s conduct, which “potentially violated” the college’s policy on affirmative action, equal opportunity and diversity.

While the investigation found that Cox had not violated the policy, “he did engage in inappropriate and unprofessional conduct toward the complainant that was inconsistent with his role as a College president,” board chair Tammy Glivinski-Saben wrote in the message.

That was all the board would say about the matter, Glivinski-Saben added.

“As we need to protect the privacy of the complainant and those involved in this confidential complaint process, and to honor and recognize the College’s need to move forward, this is the extent of what will be shared regarding the investigation,” the message said.

Carinita Greene, the college’s former vice president of academic affairs, has been serving as acting president since Cox stepped down. She will continue to do so while the board launches a search for an interim president and then a permanent one.