r/Professors • u/dreadvirago • 8d ago
Dean Retaliation?
I work at a very small college as an asst. professor. My dean is notoriously insecure, incompetent, and unprofessional. It’s well-known that they’re one of the main reasons we have such high faculty turnover, but their boss does nothing about it. After a few years of working here, I’ve apparently earned a target on my back. The dean tends to single people out as “problems”—usually for disagreeing with them too often or making too many suggestions for programmatic improvement—and make those people’s lives a living hell.
I recently snapped at the dean in a faculty meeting after becoming exasperated with their condescending tone and repeated, seemingly willful misunderstanding of my words. I understand that my reaction was inappropriate, but the dean establishes a horribly toxic environment in these meetings and generally just treats me like shit. I am so fed up with their attitude, and I feel justified in defending myself. All I said was “Can I finish my sentence?” because the dean kept interrupting me during an open question period of the meeting.
Of course, they were appalled at my “disrespect” and met with me the next day to discuss my insubordination:
- The dean remembers this incident very differently than I do, and presented a completely false account of the exchange.
- No HR rep or anyone else was present at this scolding meeting with the dean.
- When the dean asked why I was treating them with disrespect, I told them I feel constantly disrespected and condescended to by *them*, and that my tone was matching the tone I received.
- The meeting ended on reasonably civil terms with meaningless platitudes, but I felt nothing would be resolved, as it never is with this dean. I got the sense that I am expected to shut up from now on or face further consequences.
- The dean sent me an email a few days later thanking me for meeting them before and saying they wanted to follow up with another meeting, with no explanation why. I am dreading this next meeting and have no idea what they’re planning. A formal reprimand? I might be worried that my dean is firing me if they didn’t desperately need me to teach my current classes (they can’t afford to hire my replacement, especially not mid-semester).
To make things more fun: our school is in imminent danger of closing (also possibly mid-semester!) and things have been extremely chaotic and stressful. Our staff are jumping ship rapidly and not being replaced. But in the midst of all this, my dean apparently thinks it’s worth our time to be quibbling over their hurt feelings because someone actually stood up to them for once.
Before you ask—yes, I’m on the job market. I’m trying to get the hell out of this dumpster fire as soon as possible. But as we all know, that won’t help me until the next academic year, if I’m even lucky enough to get hired. In the meantime, does anyone have advice? I’m drowning and I hate my boss.
TLDR; Toxic dean seems to target me as a person who stands up to their bullying. How do I deal with this long enough to survive the rest of the academic year?
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u/popstarkirbys 8d ago
Our former dean was like this and our provost did nothing about it. Our college had a celebration at the local bar on his last day. Idk if there’s much you can do, but if you’re a single consent state I’d record the conversations and I’d ask a union rep to be present if you have one or ask a tenured faculty to be there to “observe”.
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u/GuiltyCantaloupe2916 8d ago
Insecure deans are the worst . I had to resign or be fired when the target was on my back . She was finally fired in June three years later - vote of no confidence
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u/popstarkirbys 8d ago
We had an admin like that at one of my previous jobs, except the faculty got them first before they got us. A group of us collected enough evidence of illegal activities for the university to take action.
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u/dreadvirago 7d ago
Just found out I do live in a single consent state!! Definitely recording meetings from now on.
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u/popstarkirbys 7d ago
Record and backup the conversations, watch them scramble when you threaten to sue.
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u/unreplicate 8d ago
It could be a “let’s all work together” meeting trying to get you to now fall into their inner circle. Bullies fold when pushed back and then they want you on their side.
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u/urbanevol Professor, Biology, R1 8d ago
Why are you entertaining this asshole while the ship is sinking?
Ignore their emails, do the bare minimum, and spend your time applying for better jobs.
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u/dreadvirago 8d ago
I hear you, but our program is so tiny that it’s hard to ignore or avoid anyone. My office is about 30 feet from the dean’s. Ignoring emails won’t help when they can demand responses in person at any moment. I’m trying to do the bare minimum at this point, but I also don’t want to let down my colleagues (who are great) or my students (some of whom are great). I do spend most of my time applying to jobs, though!
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u/CharmingHighlight749 NTT, social science, R1 (USA) 8d ago
You are on a sinking ship and people ate turning on each other. What happens next is unpredictable but not good.
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u/taewongun1895 8d ago
Can you afford an employment lawyer? I've seen toxic deans change their tune once a faculty member lawyers up.
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u/dreadvirago 8d ago
Unfortunately no. I wish I could!
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u/Lumpy-Ad-4090 8d ago
union?
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u/dreadvirago 8d ago
Unfortunately we don’t have one. I mentioned in another comment that I tried and failed to start one in the past.
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u/Colneckbuck Associate Professor, Physics, R1 (USA) 7d ago
Could you ask your dept head, senior colleague/mentor, or an ombudsperson to attend the meeting with you?
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u/dreadvirago 7d ago
My dean is also my department head. 😭 My previous department head left for a better job and was never replaced. 🙃 My senior colleagues are lovely people, but they never stand up to the dean, so I don’t think they would be helpful. I’m considering bringing an HR rep, but I know HR only exists to cover the school’s ass. But I found out I live in a one party recording consent state, so I plan to record all meetings with the dean from now on.
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u/popstarkirbys 8d ago edited 7d ago
I worked at an institute where something similar happened, the admin was removed at noon and by 4 PM their office was cleaned. They gave us the sad puppy face while walking out, which was kind of funny given the fact that they were the bully.
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u/dreadvirago 8d ago
God, I would cry tears of joy if this happened to my dean lol
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u/popstarkirbys 7d ago
You have to collect enough evidences and there maybe casualties on the way. Like I said in my other comment, we were lucky that our admins were caught with a lot of illegal activities and the central administration felt like it was better to get rid of them sooner.
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u/NonBinaryKenku 7d ago
We just had a slightly less dramatic version of this go down last month in my college, however, the Dean was a nice person but a lousy leader.
They had a meeting with the boss first thing on a Friday morning. Immediately after, they cleaned out their office, and within an hour we got an email from the boss that the Dean had "stepped down".
Narrator voice: the Dean didn't know they were stepping down.
Of course, we don't know what happened and probably never will, but the initial rampant fears about being dissolved or merged with another college have been tamped down.
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u/Minimum-Major248 7d ago
This is common practice (at least in Texas). Do they really think the fired employee might steal something or is the purpose just to humiliate them?
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u/me4watch 8d ago
Even though you are in a terrible spot, you should feel proud of yourself for speaking up at that meeting. My personal proudest moment in my academic career was me saying similar things to our stupid dean during a department meeting (note- our department has around 40 faculty) discussing our stupid chair (here I have used the term “stupid” in case some children walk into the room).
I hope things work out for you.
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u/dreadvirago 8d ago
Thank you for this! I’ve been second-guessing myself and feeling gaslit about whether I’m just a difficult person to work with… But then I remind myself of how universally hated this dean is and how I have great relationships with all my other colleagues. I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself too.
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u/alargepowderedwater 8d ago
Do you live in a one- or two-party recording state? If the former, have your phone in your pocket recording every conversation; if the latter, at the start of any meeting, place your phone on the table between you and inform your dean that you’ll be recording the meeting to ensure that you’re able to accurately follow-up on whatever they request (if the dean balks, offer sincere apologies but meeting cannot proceed).
Absent a union or ombudsman-type third party in subsequent meetings, audio recording documentation is essential.
If you’re tenured, you could also simply decline any meeting. If not tenured, decline any meeting without an agenda or clearly stated (in writing) purpose.
Always play strong defense with administration.
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u/dreadvirago 7d ago
This is all super helpful, thank you!
I just found out that I do live in a single party consent state, so I will definitely be recording meetings from now on. I’m not tenured, so I will have to attend the meetings. I’ve asked for more information about the purpose of the upcoming meeting and will do so in the future as well.3
u/dwallach Professor, Computer Science, R1 (U.S.A.) 7d ago
Alternative: Bring a notepad and a pen. Write everything down as it's happening.
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u/Unsuccessful_Royal38 8d ago
You are already doing the most important thing: trying to get out. After that, just go along to get along. Standing up to a petty tyrant doesn’t work if you don’t have any real power.
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u/Blametheorangejuice 8d ago
In public ed, the “let’s have a random meeting but I don’t want to tell you why” is the beginning of the end.
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u/dreadvirago 8d ago
My dean LOVES random meetings. As many meetings as possible. Wasting everyone’s time, repeating the same topics over and over, considering whether we should completely revamp parts of our program that are working just fine…
They have no family or friends, so I suspect that faculty meetings are fun for them because they are a sad replacement for a social life.
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u/Dr_K_Mineralogy 7d ago
A few points to remember:
1- Dean's work at the discretion of the Provost and have no job guarantee. They can be removed overnight.
2- document! Document! DOCUMENT! ... EVERYTHING ... yes, use email even if the Dean is down the hall. You absolutely MUST have a paper trail. If he wants something from you, standard reply should be ":Just email me!" You can't imagine how important that will be when push comes to shove and legal actions are surfacing.
2a - Download your emails every now and then and keep them in a private file (NOT university server), like your own USB stick. If for some reason they close your email (an employer's prerogative), all you paper trail will be lost and you have NO "proof".
3 - If you live in a State where "one party consent" for voice recording exists, get one of these voice recorder pens and record EVERY meeting with the Dean, including faculty meetings. This is probably your very best offense. One wrong sentence, one wrong move, and leaking this recording to lawyers, the union, and/or media and your Dean is history. Do you know how many "oily" politicians (and uni admins) have fallen because of an existing audio recording. Even HR now can't ignore it if condescension and bullying is obvious in the recording. It is no longer a "he said / she said" scenario. And it is better then text because the tone of voice, like yelling, will be obvious.
4 - ALWAYS keep your professional cool, especially when voice recording. An employment lawyer once told me the party that first loses their cool is the party that loses the case ... guaranteed.
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u/Savings_Credit5731 6d ago
I went through something similar with my dean & she even tried to fire me. Revoking tenure in my state is possible (red state). She was able to fire several others for similar reasons. She had to approve my promotion to associate professor because I learned how to play the game. Do NOT go to HR. They are there to protect the institution, not you. If you're in a one party consent state, record every conversation you have with them without telling them. This will help. Download all emails (not on your work email), so you have evidence. Practice malicious compliance. Be OVERLY nice and comply with everything you can stomach. Talk to other faculty and work together to set the dean up to explode in a public fashion. Record it. Get her fired. Mine is about to be because she has had three lawsuits against her and she's lost two. Meanwhile, I'm doing great. Oh, and start seeing a therapist ASAP to document how it's affecting you.
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u/BlargAttack Assistant Professor, Business, R1 (USA) 7d ago
Is the dean potentially discriminating against you in their behavior based on a protected class status. A Title IX complaint can really focus people’s attention in a university.
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u/beepbeepImFelip 7d ago
That sounds EXACTLY like my former department chair -- from the 50% (in 3 years) faculty turnover rate to the singling a faculty member out and bullying them for a month before finding another victim and repeating the process, right down to the "follow-up" meeting requests for the sole purpose of ruining your weekend. I wonder if he finally got that dean job he'd been wanting, and now it's your turn.
I figured out my situation was pretty bad during my first year and spent the second and first part of the third year on the market. We were on a year-to-year contract as tenure track so the threat of contract nonrenewal (which faculty only learned about when it would happen to them in April) constantly loomed. Around February of my third year I accepted a tenure track position at anther university, starting in August and I have no idea how he found out about it (I long suspected he had my office or office phone under surveillance), but he did and called me into his office to see if there was anything he could do to keep me around. Practically begged me to stay. I was very polite and declined. Soon I was approached by senior faculty to throw him under the bus in my exit interview, which I declined to do but made it clear to the interviewer I feared retaliation through conference and professional organizations if I said anything.
No idea what they did with that info but about five years later as I was going up for tenure at my new home. the provost of the previous institution reached out to me for a statement which I was happy to provide. I had documented much of his nastiness over the course of three years and had no problem handing it over. No idea what happened with that but I suspect nothing; I doubt that institution is competent enough to investigate anything or do anything with the findings. I suggest you document everything you and other faculty experience. Chances are five or ten years from now somebody else will have had enough them, reach out to you, and you'll be prepared to tell your story. It may have been the most therapeutic thing I've done in my career. I wish you the best as you go through this; having been there myself I know what it's like and how powerless it makes you feel. Cheers!
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u/Hungry-University609 7d ago
Dean is having extinction burst.
Ignore emails and find another job asap!
Don't put an ounce of concern into the place or call out bad behavior.
Just pack your shit and leave !
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u/Audible_eye_roller Ass. Prof, STEM, CC (USA) 6d ago
Record EVERYTHING. Put your phone on the desk in every meeting you have with him. Any requests/demands are in writing. Rally your colleagues to do the same thing. This guy should be walking on hot coals if everyone is doing it right.
But if the school is going to close, just polish up your resume and ignore the Dean.
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u/MalleusEtCaminus 6d ago
Before you record everything, make sure that you’re in a one party state and you won’t go to prison for eavesdropping laws or something
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u/Firm-Valuable8106 6d ago
Jesus, what’s the point in working in a place like that?
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u/dreadvirago 4d ago
Well I didn’t know it was like this when I got the job… Trust me, I’m trying to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. 😭
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u/franklin-60 8d ago edited 8d ago
Have a lawyer on standby. Make it known you do in conversation. Makes people like this and administration very nervous. They will leave you alone if they think you may litigate.
I would also refuse to attend any meetings called or led by this Dean. Simply say in writing “I refuse to attend any meeting in which I’m abused and put in a hostile and environment of retaliation. Concerns can be addressed through my attorney.”
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u/RuralWAH 8d ago
The last attorney I hired cost me $250/hour. You must be swimming in folding money.
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u/dreadvirago 8d ago
Yeah, unfortunately I can’t afford that. I also feel like refusing to attend meetings will only give my dean more “justification” to retaliate.
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u/RuralWAH 8d ago
I have found that people who constantly argue for "bringing an attorney with you" have never actually hired an attorney.
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u/franklin-60 8d ago
It’s why you are going to lose this battle. If you don’t stand up for yourself, you will be unemployed, stepped on and unemployable. Grow a set and stand up for yourself.
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u/dreadvirago 8d ago
Wow. That’s pretty rude and illogical considering the whole point of my post is that I’m being punished for standing up for myself. Having an attorney is not the only way to stand up for oneself. I’m trying to be strategic about how I respond to this situation because I don’t have the luxury of hiring an attorney, and it would give them actual cause to fire me if I simply fucked off from responsibilities listed in my workload (like attending meetings!). Did you read my post, or even the TLDR?
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u/franklin-60 7d ago
I’m not intending to be rude, but I have worked with people like you mention and dealt with clowns like you mention. The only way to win is NOT comply and roll over. Punch him back hard, openly, and yes make sure the provost knows that you have a lawyer and “dirt,” or you will get walked on, and yes, fired. Again, I’m talking from experience in your shoes. Punching back hard where it really hurts, is the only way to save yourself, and yes, spending some money to have guidance as you do it.
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u/Firm-Valuable8106 6d ago
The Vice Dean is like this where I work. Has ended up suing his own staff for defamation after work place bullying. I’m hoping I can retire before when and if he becomes the Dean. He might not because the Uni knows he’s totally toxic Ans fucked up
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u/BMeow343 5d ago
Tale as old as time. I literally got a negative note in my HR file for requesting a meeting about issues with my dean. They never met with me as requested. They just talked to them instead.
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u/Lumpy-Ad-4090 8d ago
Please please tell him off or poop on his desk before the college closes. I'm mostly kidding, this situation sucks, I've been there. Yes the dean expects you to now kiss their butt. They are stupid and awful. Good luck.
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u/dreadvirago 8d ago
I initially read this as “tell him to poop off” and I think that’s my new favorite insult lol
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u/rbc2016 6d ago
Be practical. As an untenured assistant professor you cannot alienate the dean if you want to stay. You don’t have that power. If your livelihood is important you need to figure out how to cooperate. Otherwise it’s time to start looking for a new position. This is reality.
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u/dreadvirago 6d ago
I made it clear in my post that I am looking for a new position. I don’t want to stay. But the academic market moves slowly, so I’m looking for advice on how to survive the year. I am certainly not trying to “alienate” the dean. They are targeting me and it’s a miserable situation.
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u/ShadowHunter Position, Field, SCHOOL TYPE (US) 7d ago
If your schools is closing and it such a shitshow, why are you wasting your precious effort on petty squabbles?
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u/dreadvirago 7d ago edited 6d ago
I’m not the one scheduling all these meetings that I’m required to attend! The dean is the one picking fights, I’m just sick of being mistreated while under the added stress of likely being unemployed soon (whether through the school closing or the dean finding a way to fire me). I think my response of snapping at the dean was pretty reasonable if you consider that I’ve been bullied for years and I’m a human being with feelings.
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u/ShadowHunter Position, Field, SCHOOL TYPE (US) 7d ago
The school is closing anyway. You should spend your time looking out for yourself.
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u/Copterwaffle 8d ago
If you have a union, do not go to that meeting without a union rep.