Dartmouth Professor Investigated for Sexual Misconduct Retires

Todd Heatherton had groped students, according to allegations, and was facing termination.

Written byShawna Williams
| 2 min read
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Update (July 18): Dartmouth's president has announced that the third professor investigated for sexual misconduct, William Kelley, has resigned. According to the president's statement, “Kelley's resignation concludes a months-long investigative and disciplinary process concerning allegations of sexual misconduct involving three [psychological and brain sciences] faculty members.”

Update (June 27): The Dartmouth reports that Paul Whalen, a second Dartmouth psychological and brain sciences professor who was under investigation, has now resigned.

A Dartmouth College psychology professor alleged to have committed sexual misconduct will retire immediately, the college’s president announced yesterday (June 14). The president, Phil Hanlon, had recommended Heatherton’s dismissal based on the results of an external investigation, he told staff, according to New Hampshire Public Radio. Heatherton held an endowed chair and directed the college’s ...

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  • Shawna was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Colorado College and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, and in the communications offices of several academic research institutions. As news director, Shawna assigned and edited news, opinion, and in-depth feature articles for the website on all aspects of the life sciences. She is based in central Washington State, and is a member of the Northwest Science Writers Association and the National Association of Science Writers.

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