John Cox, former president of Cape Cod Community College, speaking at the 2024 Fall PTK Induction Ceremony (Cape Cod Community College)
By Wil Moser and Bec Rapacz
From a sudden departure through paid administrative leave, to making international news in The Boston Globe and The Daily Mail, former 4Cs president Dr. John Cox has been a subject of interest for not only the college community but the world at large. From March to April, however, information about this scandal has been released only in increments. With the semester concluded and questions still lingering on how the college will move forward, let’s recap what is known.
Cox was placed on paid administrative leave when complaints about his inappropriate behavior culminated in an investigative report submitted to the Policy of Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity and Diversity (PAA). According to The Boston Globe, Maura Weir, Chief of Wellness at 4Cs, was also placed on paid administrative leave due to a failure to report this behavior. Tammy Glivinski-Saben, chair of the board of trustees for 4Cs, informed students and faculty through email that the investigation had concluded. Although Cox did not officially violate the PAA policy, Saben wrote, “it was determined that…he did engage in inappropriate and unprofessional conduct…inconsistent with his role as College president.” A few days later, The Boston Globe published an article explaining the intricate details of the investigation. Dr. Ellen Kennedy has been appointed Interim President of Cape Cod Community College.
Timeline of events
October 2025: John Cox placed on paid leave. No reason given.
March 16, 2026: Cox retires.
April 9, 2026: Investigation into Cox’s behavior ends.
April 10, 2026: Cox is publicly revealed to have been under investigation through an email from Glivinsky-Saben to 4Cs faculty and students.
April 14, 2026: Patrick Stone, 4C’s Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing, stated to MainSheet staff that Hillary Burns, a reporter for The Boston Globe, receives an unredacted investigation report anonymously. She then contacts him with questions about the investigation. According to Stone, he did not have access to the report and was unable to provide answers to Burns.
April 15, 2026: Burns publishes an article on the findings of the Cox investigation.
April 16, 2026: Burns publishes a follow-up article featuring the reactions of 4Cs faculty and students.
April 21, 2026: Glivinski-Saben sends out another email announcing a new candidate to serve as interim president, Kennedy.
April 22, 2026: Kennedy is voted into her position as interim president.
April 29, 2026: During a campus meet-and-greet, Kennedy pledged healing through communication, asking faculty for their advice on how to move forward as a collective.
July 1, 2026: Kennedy begins her year-long presidency.
Will this affect Cox’s retirement?
When asked about Cox’s administrative leave pay, Stone said, “Dr. Cox received his usual, full-time pay while on paid administrative leave.”
Due to the findings of the investigation, Cox will retire with his full pension and retirement package.
What is Weir’s status?
Revealed in the initial Boston Globe article by Burns, Weir was placed on administrative leave due to her failure to “report Cox’s behavior to the college’s board or general counsel,”. Weir helped the complainant draft a text message to Cox requesting that he give them some space, saying that they “needed to ‘take a step back for now’ to focus on her mental health and studies.” Weir failed to report the student’s complaints. She did, however, warn Cox to “keep this one at arms length or further”, according to the Globe’s findings. In an email asking about her status as faculty, Stone confirmed that Weir remains on paid administrative leave as of May 9.
What is the college doing to protect the complainant?
When asked what the college was doing to protect the complainant, Stone stated to MainSheet staff: “Everything. The number one topic of conversation…has been to make sure that the student is protected and safe. The release of the story made that exceptionally worse… This is her private life. This was supposed to be a private investigation, a private matter, to get something bad that was happening to stop…she took the path that made this a private forum, and others made it a public forum.” When asked further about the sequence of events, Stone said: “It’s deeply frustrating from a public information standpoint, sure, but I remain more frustrated at the floodgates, and Pandora’s box…I worry about the complainant. I worry about the way people have now taken this and made it their own story.”
Where did the money go?
Found in the investigation report, Cox allocated roughly $19,000 in school funds toward the complainant’s extracurricular interests. The items purchased remain in the college’s possession, however are not being used for any student activities at the moment. College faculty are attending to them, according to Joe MacKinnon, director of facilities and sustainability. Stone stated to MainSheet staff that the college would not recoup the money Cox spent: “It was college money. So, they spent it. They budgeted; they spent it. There’s nothing to really recoup.”
Have there been any changes announced relating to college policy?
There have not been any official statements made about changes to college policy in relation to Cox’s investigation.
What has the 4C’s community response been?
Keli Gates, faculty, on the board of trustees’ promise of transparency, said: “I find it frustrating that they openly comment about how transparent and communicative they’ve been throughout this whole process when that is absolutely not the case.”
Jupiter Haughey, a student, in early April when asked if they were satisfied with the information available about Cox’s leave and following retirement, said: “It’s just very vague. I don’t like when big, important things happen without any explanation. It’s weird that we don’t have any information on it.”
Grace Michel, another student, said. “It seemed very quick for him to go into retirement…They haven’t given an opportunity to ask questions or give comments.”
After the Globe’s article was published, Brian Rice, another faculty member, reflected on the college’s future: “This will be such a stain on the college’s reputation. It’s gonna take a while before we get over this.”
Michael Bejtlich, President of the Cape Cod Community College Association, also spoke on his feelings about the handling of the scandal: “The board has a responsibility to oversee the president and his or her leadership team. And they failed. Worse, I think that there were attempts to protect the president more than the student in question. And I think to some degree this is still happening. Dr. Weir is still employed by the college. Students don’t feel safe. Our wellness program is broken. I think it’s frankly sick, the idea of Wellness sending out a message that ‘if anybody feels upset or negatively impacted by what occurred, come on over to Wellness!’ That’s sick!”
Where does this leave us with the exchange of power between presidents?
Glivinski-Saben stated in an email to faculty and students on April 21, “This is a critical moment in our College’s history. The Board’s priority is to ensure steady, experienced leadership that will support our students, faculty, and staff, and help guide the College forward with integrity and stability. Under the interim leadership of Dr. Kennedy, our attention as an institution will turn to the national search for a full-time President.” Saben also wrote an update sent on May 8, writing “Dr. Noe Ortega, Commissioner of Higher Education, has confirmed the appointment of Dr. Ellen Kennedy as Interim President of Cape Cod Community College. As previously noted, Dr. Kennedy will assume the role on July 1 and serve for a period of one year while we undertake a national search for our next permanent president. There will be opportunities to meet Dr. Kennedy over the coming months, including at our June 9 Board meeting.”
What’s next?
As the community grapples with the events that have taken place on and off campus, college leadership looks to the future. The board of trustees voted unanimously in a virtual meeting on April 22 to appoint Kennedy, former president of Berkshire Community College, to Interim President. She will start her year-long stay at 4Cs on July 1. She came to campus on April 29 and spoke with faculty to hear concerns and advice, as well as to introduce herself to the community to answer questions. Kennedy spoke to the tumultuous year that 4Cs has had in the April 22 meeting. “I don’t take lightly what you’ve been going through this year…I want you to know that I am not here to paper over what happened or to move past it too quickly. Institutions heal when people feel heard, when leadership is present and transparent, and when trust is rebuilt through actions, not words.”
Richard Clark and Bruce Bowen also contributed to this report.
