Investigation Finds No Misconduct by Utah Tech President

Utah Tech University’s independent Title IX investigation into claims of misconduct against former president Richard Williams concluded with “no sustained findings,” according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The review was launched in November 2023 after the then-president left a phallic gift outside a vice president’s house—two eggplants and a zucchini arranged suggestively—along with a note on which he signed three uninvolved staffers’ names. Those staffers, two university lawyers and a Title IX coordinator, also filed a lawsuit against Williams, which is still ongoing, accusing him of multiple instances of misconduct. Williams had previously apologized for the gag.

Williams stepped down from Utah Tech in January 2024 while the investigation was underway to take a job as Missouri State University president. With nearly a decade-long tenure, he was the Utah System of Higher Education’s longest-serving president, according to Deseret News.

Last November, the Utah Board of Higher Education updated its policy to prevent state university presidents who resign while under investigation for misconduct from collecting a salary after leaving, a perk that presidents can receive for up to a year and which Williams received before moving to Missouri State.