The head of Instrumental Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University resigned his position last week, almost two months after the Office of Academic Affairs notified him that he was being investigated for claims of "unprofessional and unethical" behavior. The professor, Dr. Rod Chesnutt, was also the conductor of FGCU's Wind Orchestra.
A letter dated August 25 from the Academic Affairs Office advised Chesnutt of the investigation into the claims, and requested a meeting with him to discuss the matter. While the letter doesn't indicate the nature of the alleged misconduct, a follow-up letter from Provost Ronald Toll dated August 29 - one day after the meeting took place - indicates that Chesnutt admitted to the misconduct. The letter states:
"Given the nature of the allegations and your admission of misconduct, you are hereby immediately placed on administrative leave with pay, pending further investigation."
While many students told Fox 4 on Tuesday that they didn't know anything about the situation and did not wish to comment, junior Nabil Benjelloun said that all the facts need to be taken into account.
"There have been cases where people accuse someone because they want to destroy their reputation," Benjelloun said. "And there are cases where the person did it and got away with it. Just look at it from as much information as you can."
Last Wednesday, Chesnutt emailed his resignation to the provost: "After much thought and conversations with my physicians, I am resigning my position at FGCU effective Friday October 13 2017. I believe this to be in the best interests of all concerned."
FGCU Vice President and Chief of Staff told Fox 4 that the university could not comment on this story, since the investigation into Chesnutt's alleged misconduct is ongoing.
