Dive Brief:

• For the first time “in decades,” Syracuse University may fire a tenured professor for having an affair with a student, according to a progress memo from the school’s new chancellor, Kent Syverud.
• The professor was not named, but Syverud says the charges against the teacher for the "consensual romantic relationship with an undergraduate student whom the faculty member taught during the relationship" — a violation of the university's faculty policy and ethics code — were brought by the university last year.
• The affair was mentioned in a memo discussing changes and hires Syverud is making after four months on the job

Dive Insight:

Syverud doesn’t come right out and say the professor will be fired, but reading between the lines, that appears to be the inevitable outcome. “I just want you to know we are following the established procedure to address this matter. The final step in the process is currently underway and I will update you upon its conclusion," the chancellor writes.

As is the case when scandal is present, the rest of the memo was mundane by comparison: The board of trustees created a new committee on athletics, several new hires and departures were announced, and Syverud pledged to make sure the school is following best practices to protect students from sexual assault.