Ross Levinsohn, an American University trustee and former Los Angeles Times publisher, will not seek re-election for another term on the board, board chair Jack Cassell wrote in a memo released Monday.
Levinsohn first took “voluntary leave” from the board in January after an NPR investigation revealed a history of sexual harassment claims against him.
“A proud AU alum, Mr. Levinsohn has notified me that, while he cares deeply for American University, at this time, he will not stand for re-election for another term on the board,” Cassell wrote.
An independent investigation commissioned by his employer, Tronc, Inc., found “no wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Levinsohn,” according to a Tronc statement cited by Cassell. Levinsohn has since been moved to a new role within Tronc.
Mark Story, AU’s director of strategic communications, told The Eagle that Levinsohn continues to be on voluntary leave from the Board of Trustees through the remainder of his term, which ends in May.
The allegations against Levinsohn have sparked criticism from students, including a Fossil Free AU campaign that criticized Levinsohn’s presence on the board and a column in The Eagle.
“Women at AU deserve better than one of the people making decisions about their university to be someone with real allegations of sexual misconduct,” wrote Eagle columnist Sam McAllister. “The Board took this seriously, but there is more to do. Someone like this should never have been on the Board in the first place, and women at AU need to be reassured with concrete action that their voices and their #MeToo stories are heard and respected.”
