McCain Resigns From Gallaudet University Board After Dismissal of Incoming President

WASHINGTON – Sen. John McCain has resigned from Gallaudet University's board of trustees after disagreeing with its decision to revoke the appointment of the school's incoming president.

A spokeswoman for the nation's only university for the deaf and hearing impaired says officials plan to announce the Arizona Republican's departure on Wednesday. At the same time, it will note that Brenda Jo Brueggemann, the board's chair, also decided to step down this week, she said.

School officials say McCain wrote to outgoing President I. King Jordan this week, describing the board's decision as unfair.

The Washington Post reports that Brueggemann, a professor at Ohio State University, said in an e-mail that she had thought about resigning since October 29th, when the board voted to end Jane Fernandes' appointment after a month of demonstrations and hunger strikes by students.