Dan Gerlach, interim chancellor of East Carolina University, has been placed on administrative leave in light of reports that he acted inappropriately in a Greenville-area bar last week, according to a statement from interim UNC-System President Bill Roper on Monday morning.
Local news station WITN received reports over the weekend that recently, Gerlach was drinking alcohol and acting inappropriately around students at a local bar. Instagram and Snapchat videos surfaced of the incident.
In a statement issued Sunday evening, interim ECU Chief Communications Officer Jeannine Manning Hutson said Gerlach visited Sup Dogs and a nearby local pub on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
According to the statement, the photos depict Gerlach “interacting with college-aged young adults and taking selfies.” Gerlach has set out to be an approachable leader since accepting his position at ECU, he said in the statement.
Gerlach has been placed on administrative leave “pending further investigation," Roper said in his statement.
Gerlach is one of several UNC System leaders serving in an interim capacity. Gerlach, Roper, Fayetteville State University interim Chancellor Peggy Valentine, UNC School of the Arts interim Chancellor Brian Cole and UNC-Chapel Hill interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz are among the other administrators who have taken on temporary appointments.
