At a meeting the Dean hosted with a few dozen alumni in the summer of 2022, in which he acknowledged the toxic work environment pervading CVM, he also discussed the hiring practices he employed for a key open position: Director of the Teaching Hospital.
At that time, the position had been open for nearly 6 months, and had several qualified candidates under consideration. The process ultimately took over a year to get a new Director on the job. The alumni wanted to know what the status was at that time.
”It was clear to us he was running a sham process, his mind was already made up,” said one attendee. “He just kept raising his voice, it was weird, every time he said it: It’s my prerogative!”
The interview process was also questioned, with one attendee asking why a credible candidate was only given a one hour zoom interview with just three members of the search committee. The Dean called it a “behavior assessment” but offered no clarification when he was asked how an equine surgeon, a small animal internist and an MBA are qualified to conduct such an assessment – and he would not answer whether other candidates also received such a “behavior assessment.” He also declined to answer whether his requirement for a behavior assessment of candidates conducted by personnel without qualification for such assessments risked running afoul of discrimination laws. Again, he responded, “It’s my prerogative!”
Alumni representatives asked again for the Dean to clarify how he conducts hiring processes, especially given how many people had left and how many critical positions needed filling. He simply responded again that how he conducts hiring is “my prerogative.”
Since that time, more key faculty and staff have resigned without replacement, including the Section Heads of Surgery, Dermatology and Emergency and Critical Care.