Dartmouth College professors under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct

— -- Three Dartmouth College professors are now the subjects of a criminal investigation after the school received allegations of sexual misconduct, the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office said today.

The Ivy League school had placed the three professors -- Todd Heatherton, Bill Kelley and Paul Whalen -- on paid leave and restricted their access to campus while college officials conduct their own investigation.

The nature of the allegations was not immediately clear, but the school called them “serious” when it acknowledged the probe to the campus newspaper The Dartmouth on Oct. 25.

“Dartmouth is cooperating with law enforcement,” spokeswoman Diana Lawrence said. “From the outset of our investigations, we have encouraged the reporting of possible crimes to law enforcement and have offered resources to support that reporting.”

Dartmouth President Phil Hanlon informed the campus of the investigation in an email, writing in part, “It is important to remember that investigations are ongoing, with no official findings yet produced. However, we take these allegations very seriously and are pursuing our own independent investigations in coordination with law enforcement officials.”

All three professors teach in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

Messages left for all three men by ABC News were not immediately returned.