This is how this controversy ends.

Inside Higher Ed reports.

Administrator for Dartmouth Native American program withdraws amid questions about her Indian status

Susan Taffe Reed will not be director of Dartmouth College’s Native American Program after all. Her appointment, announced a month ago, drew criticism from many Native American groups who said that her claim to be Native American was false (which Taffe Reed denied) and that the appointment insulted them.

Dartmouth issued a brief statement about the latest development. “Susan Taffe Reed will no longer serve as the director of the Native American Program. Unfortunately, the distraction around her appointment prevents her from effectively serving in this role. It does not prevent her from contributing to Dartmouth in other ways and we are currently exploring other opportunities with her. The experience of Dartmouth students is our priority and we are working to ensure that we have a strong and easily accessible network of support in place for our students.”

A spokeswoman for Dartmouth declined to answer whether the decision was made by Taffe Reed or the college, and said she understood Taffe Reed was not commenting.

The controversy over Taffe Reed started shortly after the college announced her appointment. In a news release, the college noted Taffe Reed’s academic background (a Cornell University Ph.D. and postdoc positions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Bowdoin College) and her research interest (ethnomusicology), and stated that Taffe Reed is president of Eastern Delaware Nations Inc.