George Washington University reportedly shelled out $500,000 on three days of inauguration bashes for its new president last month despite a series of school budget cuts and employee layoffs over the past two years.
November festivities celebrating the hiring of Thomas LeBlanc included an inauguration ceremony, a brunch, an invitation-only dinner at the Library of Congress and a faculty-only gala at the president’s home, The College Fix says.
Meanwhile, GWHatchet, the school’s student newspaper, reported the big-bucks splash occurred as the school reels from academic budget cuts of 5 percent in all departments and a 40 percent budget slash in the music department. Forty positions and offices were also eliminated.
The 196-year-old school’s student senate passed a resolution condemning the $500,000 expenditure. But LeBlanc has defended the pricy events, telling GWHatchet that “durable institutions, every now and then, pause and celebrate.”
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