EFTA00812415.pdf

Yesterday I submitted my request to retire from my position as Professor at ASU, at the end of this academic year on May 16, 2019, which the University has agreed to accept, following its agreement on Friday to close its review process against me for violations of University Policy with no admission of wrongdoing. Note first that before and through to the end of the recent University review process, none of my students, departmental staff in either of my two departments, the School of Earth and Space Exploration, or Physics, my faculty colleagues, research colleagues and postdoctoral fellows, or participants in the Origins events I led over the past decade at ASU, has issued any allegations or complaints to the University regarding my behavior. The program that brought me to ASU—The Origins Project—had recently been terminated, reducing the attractiveness of staying at the University for me, and the choice to retire was made easier for me by regulations dictated by the Arizona Board of Regents, which did not required any rigorous due process at the University to deal with any allegations against me unless I first agreed to be dismissed. The sequence of events over the past 2 months has been as follows: The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences recommended my dismissal on July 31 following a determination by the Office of Equity and Inclusion regarding claims made against me. I appealed the Dean's decision to the President and provided comprehensive appeal document in which I presented new evidence and information that I argued factually undermined the credibility of the claims and, in some cases the claimants. Subsequent to that submission, and without any hearing that would have been based on that appeal material, the Dean and I participated in a conciliation process initiated by the President of ASU. That was followed by negotiations with the University, and the agreed-upon actions described above. I have never harassed or assaulted anyone, and have most certainly not exhibited gender bias in my professional dealings with colleagues, students, or staff. I look forward to continuing my work, including writing, research, and public outreach, now and after my retirement from ASU. EFTA00812415