The director of one of France's most prestigious universities suggested on Monday, December 11, that he temporarily step aside from his duties after students demanded his resignation following his arrest over alleged domestic violence.
Mathias Vicherat, director of the Sciences Po social sciences university, and his former partner Anissa Bonnefont were detained on December 3, each accusing the other of domestic violence, then released the next day. Up to 100 students staged a sit-in at the main university building in Paris last week, demanding his resignation.
Vicherat in a letter to the university's student and teaching body seen by Agence France-Presse offered to step aside for a period. "I have suggested to the president of the National Foundation for Political Sciences, Laurence Bertrand Dorleac, that I temporarily step away from my functions according to terms, a timeline and a duration of her choosing," he wrote. Dorleac is expected to define those terms during meetings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
In his letter, Vicherat said he denied "the acts of violence that have been reported in the press and on social media." "I would like to stress that, following our time in custody, no complaint was filed, no measure of judicial supervision or restraining order issued," he added.
Vicherat was appointed head of Sciences Po in 2021 after the forced resignation of his predecessor Frederic Mion, accused of covering up incest allegations against star political scientist Olivier Duhamel, who was head of the Sciences Po Foundation which has strategic oversight over the university.
Sciences Po counts several leading personalities from politics, business and culture among its alumni. They include French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau, former UN chief Boutros Boutros-Ghali and former Iranian prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. Designer Christian Dior and writer Marcel Proust are also alumni. Sciences Po was founded in 1872 to train civil servants, but gradually opened up to students seeking careers in the private sector.