Georgetown College trustees fired the school’s president, William A. Jones, Nov. 1 following accusations of sexual assault.
William Jones
“On Sunday afternoon, Oct. 31, the college was informed of allegations of a sexual assault of a female college employee, inappropriate behavior with another female college employee, and other conduct in violation of Jones’s employment agreement with the college,” the trustees said in a Nov. 2 statement. “The college took immediate steps to investigate the allegations. The college has engaged outside counsel to continue the investigation.”
Georgetown College, with ties to Kentucky Baptists, takes a zero-tolerance approach to inappropriate conduct, board Chair Robert L. Mills added in a statement.
“Georgetown College does not tolerate violence or misuse of authority. We hold our administrators, students and faculty to the highest standards of moral and ethical conduct,” Mills said. “We are surprised and deeply disappointed by what we have learned. We will support the members of our Georgetown College family who are directly impacted, and we will work cooperatively with ongoing or any future investigations.”
Trustees appointed Provost Rosemary Allen acting president, the college said.
In one incident, Jones was accused of assaulting a female college employee in an Indianapolis hotel room during a work trip in October, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
“According to the protective order filed earlier this week, the employee believes Jones to be a ‘threat to safety,’ which resulted in her filing the order,” the newspaper reported. “‘William Jones sexually harassed me in the lobby of (the) hotel before later sexually assaulting me in his hotel room,’ the employee wrote. ‘Multiple times throughout the incident’s timeframe I told him to stop.’”
Jones was named president of the college, located in Georgetown, Ky., in 2019. He is due to appear in court to answer the allegations Nov. 10, the Herald-Leader reported.