After getting booed by graduates and directly criticized on stage, University of Hartford President Gregory Woodward had heard enough. He left his own university's commencement before getting a chance to address the Class of 2021.
Woodward has been under fire from UHart athletes, other students, donors and alumni for leading an effort to drive the university's athletics department out of NCAA Division I.
If a recent Board of Regents vote stands, the Hawks will complete in Division III, offering no athletic scholarships, starting in the fall of 2025.
Saturday's confrontation with Woodward took place at the XL Center in Hartford. Multiple sources familiar with the situation tell WTIC that some graduating athletes confronted Woodward as they collected their diplomas. Also, when he was introduced, Woodward was booed by the crowd, as seen and heard in cellphone video posted online.
In a statement issued Sunday night, the university says some graduates were "shouting and sharing language as they crossed the stage that has no place in any academic ceremony." It goes on to explain that Woodward left the event "to allow the spotlight to remain where it belonged-- on our graduates."
Several people with close ties to UHart Athletics say there's a mounting effort to get the full Board of Regents to reconsider the vote to leave Division I.