The University of Iowa says it is planning to remove Steve Wynn’s name from its Institute for Vision Research following allegations of sexual misconduct against the casino mogul and GOP mega-donor.
“University leadership determined retaining the name would be damaging to the institution’s reputation following recent allegations of sexual misconduct by Mr. Wynn,” the university said in a statement Wednesday.
The school decided to rename the institute, which focuses on genetic blindness, the “Stephen A. Wynn Institute for Vision” after Wynn made a $25 million gift commitment.
{mosads}Wynn said when he made the gift he knew firsthand what it was like to lose vision from a “rare inherited eye disease.”
“I want to do everything I can to help others who are similarly affected keep the vision they have and eventually get back what they have lost,” he said in a university news release in 2013.
In its Wednesday statement, the school said naming the vision institute after Wynn was “in recognition of the gift, and not a condition of the gift.”
“To date Mr. Wynn has donated $20 million toward his commitment, dramatically increasing the institute’s scope of research,” the statement said.
Dropping Wynn’s name from its vision institute is subject to approval by the Board of Regents, the school added.
The Wall Street Journal last month published a report detailing sexual misconduct allegations against Wynn that spanned decades.
The Journal reported that Wynn had engaged in a pattern of sexual misconduct involving Wynn Resort employees and that he agreed to pay a $7.5 million settlement to a manicurist at one of his hotels who accused him of pressuring her into sex.
Wynn has denied the accounts published by the Journal, and has blamed his ex-wife for instigating the allegations.
Following the report, Wynn stepped down from his role as the Republican National Committee’s finance chairman.
The allegations against him have sparked political backlash, and several Republicans including Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.) have said they’ll donate money they have received from an organization linked to Wynn.