Top administrators at Ohio University's Scripps College of Communication clashed Friday with a professor and assistant dean - defending a controversial tenure decision while refuting accusations that they turned a blind eye to bullying in Scripps Hall.
The heated argument came at a tenure appeal hearing for Bill Reader, a well-liked journalism professor who began teaching in 2002. In April, he became the first journalism professor to be denied tenure in 14 years.
A standing-room-only crowd of students and faculty members in Baker University Center 219 heard Dean Greg Shepherd and Director Tom Hodson defend their decision to deny Reader tenure, calling him a non-collegial bully incapable of working with current tenured faculty.
Reader painted a drastically different picture in which professional jealousy and personal disagreements motivated Hodson and three tenured professors to conspire to ruin his career.
Toward the end of the nearly three-hour hearing, Assistant Dean Eddith Dashiell said she's considered the school a hostile work environment since 1997.
The school of journalism has had a history of bullying
Dashiell said, adding that the behavior of the school's tenured faculty during her 18 years in Athens has made her feel threatened and uncomfortable.
The hearing in front of an ad hoc Faculty Senate tenure committee was Reader's final appeal. The committee has two weeks to write a formal recommendation to award or deny Reader tenure. President Roderick McDavis will then have 30 days to make a final decision.
The E.W. Scripps School of Journalism's Promotion and Tenure Committee voted 7-5 to award tenure last January. Soon after that vote, Hodson recommended the dean deny Reader tenure - a recommendation Shepherd followed.
Both Hodson and Shepherd opposed Reader's tenure because of a pattern of behavior that is bullying and volatile.
In March, the Scripps College of Communication's Tenure Review Committee sided with Hodson and Shepherd, voting 5-0 to recommend against tenure.
A travesty for the journalism school
More than 50 students crowded the hearing, after organizing support for Reader on Facebook.
I would not have done this for any other journalism professor said Alex Levin, a senior studying journalism and
political science.
Levin and fellow senior Lindsay Ferguson led the student campaign to support Reader, who they called vital to the school's success.
This is not right; it's going to be a travesty for the journalism school Levin said. This is a failure to future journalism students.
Ferguson said the effort to support Reader was very successful
and that students will continue to publicly support him.
It really spoke to how he's seen (among students) at the journalism school
she said.
A serious affront to university tenure process
Reader questioned how Shepherd and Hodson could deny him tenure after he received exceptional performance reviews each year. Neither had reprimanded him for any inappropriate behavior
Reader said.
He consistently earned exceeds expectations for teaching and advising, research and creative activity and service.
(Hodson and Shepherd) have worked to end my employment at OU
Reader said, adding that the reasons used to justify denying him tenure were never formally raised as a potential roadblock to permanent employment.
Colleagues and supervisors threatened by his popularity and turned off by his outspoken nature conspired against him, Reader said.
This is a serious affront to the university tenure process
Reader said. The message being sent here is much bigger than my employment at Ohio University. If this can happen to me
it can happen to anyone.
Bullying
disrespectful and volatile
Hodson cited complaints from three tenured faculty members as well as a list of eight other incidents of inappropriate behavior as justification for his negative recommendation.
In the days after the school's promotion and tenure committee voted in favor of Reader, faculty members Marilyn Greenwald, Bonjinka Bishop and Patricia Cambridge filed harassment complaints against Reader, charging him with intimidation, verbal harassment and threats of retaliation.
Each told Hodson and Human Resources they felt threatened after Reader said colleagues who voted against his tenure were on his list.
Three of my female faculty members were afraid
Hodson said. Three of my faculty felt threatened by this man.
The Human Resources investigation deemed that while Reader's reactions may have been socially inappropriate
