Swain Pain: Another Deflection or Beginning of the End for GW’s Senior Leaders?
On August 12, George Washington University (GW) announced the hiring of a new Vice President for Communications and Marketing during a time of organizational restructuring, layoffs, payroll reductions, and last-minute reductions in student financial aid. Since I wrote about that announcement (see https://medium.com/@jswalker/on-swag-and-hubris-george-washington-universitys-loyal-less-leadership-aa3fbd94a2fb) troubling revelations were uncovered about the skills and expertise of the new VP, Heather Swain.
According to the U.S. Attorney General’s office, while at Michigan State University (MSU) during the time of the Nassar sexual assault tragedy, Ms. Swain used her branding and communication skills to contribute to the stonewalling that perpetuated “a culture of indifference toward sexual assault, motivated by its (MSU’s) desire to protect its reputation,” and the AG’s office found that Swain instructed “Trustee Brian Breslin to copy University legal counsel Robert Noto on an email to other Trustees in order to “maintain privilege,” even though the email was not seeking any legal advice from Noto.” (https://archive.thinkprogress.org/michigan-state-is-still-trying-to-cover-up-its-enabling-of-larry-nassar-b9628d0ed20c/)
These revelations about Swain’s ethics and values shocked many in the GW community and generated a diverse array of responses — from a change.org petition (https://www.change.org/p/thomas-leblanc-gw-remove-heather-swain-from-her-position/psf/share?source_location=petition_show&psf_variant=combo&share_intent=1&share_abi=10 to heart wrenching letters of betrayal and anger written by survivors.
Then on August 15, a sudden reversal in the Swain Game occurred. In a terse statement published in GWToday (https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/update-vice-president-communications-and-marketing), “George Washington University President Thomas LeBlanc announced that Heather Swain has withdrawn her acceptance of the position of Vice President for Communications and Marketing.”
The short statement might be what Swain would have recommended, were she here, to protect GW’s brand. It would have bought some time to strategize a more comprehensive communication plan and implement an ‘anti-transparency’ plan, which Swain (according to the AG) has expertise in.
DAMN!!!! As I write this it is now, Sunday August 16th at 9:40 AM Eastern time, and the anti-transparency plan has begun. I had a browser open with GWToday’s announcement of the Swain appointment; when I went back to check a fact, I found that the announcement is no longer available. It also does not come up in a google search.
Let the secrecy and deflection begin.
The anti-transparency plan is certainly needed now. The rot at the top that made the offer to Swain is spread through many areas at GW. According to the now-deleted GWToday announcement, GW mobilized extensive resources and tapped many senior-level GW administrators during the recruiting and hiring process for Ms. Swain. GW hired an expensive search firm (The Ward Group) and dedicated itself to carefully selecting the person with the best skills and experience for the new VP job. Many GW administrators, including the Board of Trustees, met with her and vetted her hiring (https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/heather-swain-named-vice-president-communications-and-marketing). Note: this link no longer works so you will just have to trust that the facts above were in the now-deleted page.
Given the involvement of (unnamed) Deans, Senior level Administrators, and the Board of Trustees, it is clear that GW carefully selected Ms. Swain. It is interesting to imagine the offer was made because of her deep experience with stonewalling and anti-transparency tactics (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michigan-state-university-has-stonewalled-larry-nassar-investigation-prosecutors-say-n950951) gained at Michigan State University (MSU).
This is what hurts so much. GW’s administrative leaders — those in positions of power and responsibility — are making decisions in stark contrast to the aspirational ethics of equity, justice, and care. As a Quaker, I am feeling sense of responsibility to those who are vulnerable and silenced. As a survivor of sexual assault, the Swain debacle has triggered fear, feelings of betrayal, and outrage. As a tenured faculty member, I stand opposed to any actions that diminish GW’s trustworthiness.
I am withdrawing all allegiance and support to the decision makers involved with the Swain debacle. I invite you to examine your conscience and your heart to make a principled action on the best course of action in this moment. We can influence the outcome…will it be another deflection? or could it be the beginning of the end?
Quakers discern right course of action through queries; I offer some here….
How wide spread is the rot at the top that made this Swain decision?
How could Swain’s expertise and performance during the Nassar tragedy not be known???
How can/should the GW community come together, in righteous outrage, at this time?
