Chapman University has placed two top officials on administrative leave, including its head of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Norma Bouchard, executive vice president, provost and chief academic officer, and Reg Stewart, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, have been on leave since at least Wednesday, March 12, according to an email from President Daniele Struppa to Chapman faculty and staff obtained by The Orange County Register.
No reason for the administration changes were given in the email and university officials did not respond to questions about why the two were placed on leave. Neither could be immediately reached for comment.
The move came no more than two days after the Trump administration sent warning letters to 60 colleges around the nation, including Chapman, saying these institutions could lose federal funding if the U.S. Department of Education believes they are not protecting Jewish students on their campuses.
His administration already canceled $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University for what it said was “inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
In response to the Register’s inquiry about whether the administrative leaves are related to Monday’s letter from the Department of Education, Chapman University released the following statement Friday:
“Chapman University is fully committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all members of our campus community, and we stand by our record in this regard.
“Chapman has a longstanding history of supporting our Jewish students, faculty and staff through both our words and actions,” the statement continues. “This commitment is reflected in our many Jewish Life initiatives, our Fish Interfaith Center offerings, our Barry and Phyllis Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education, our Or Initiative aimed at enhancing civil discourse, and our active collaborations with Israeli scholars. We remain actively engaged in ensuring that Chapman University continues to be a place where all students feel valued and supported.”
Several Chapman senior faculty members who spoke with the Register on the condition of anonymity, at least one out of concern for retaliation, said they were surprised by the news.
“That these two things are happening to Chapman within the same week, which is the Department of Education letter and then, suddenly, two high officials are on leave — there’s a strong inference that these things are linked,” one senior tenured faculty member said.
The faculty member added that in more than 10 years at the university, they can’t recall a time when an administrator was put on leave in a similar fashion.
The federal education department’s Office of Civil Rights has been investigating Chapman since June in response to a complaint filed by the Louis. D Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a Jewish legal advocacy group.
The complaint alleges the university failed to take appropriate actions in response to claims of antisemitic harassment and exclusion of Jewish students on campus by the Chapman Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.
Several dozen similar claims have been filed against universities across the country since the surge of pro-Palestinian activism at U.S. universities after the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023. Students held an encampment on the Chapman campus over multiple weeks last spring.
Struppa, in his email, said Glenn Pfeiffer will serve as activating provost and Gabriela Castaneda will lead the university’s DEI team and operations.
Pfeiffer is a former Chapman provost and Castaneda has been the director for Hispanic and Latinx Achievement on the university’s DEI team.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
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