LITS,
The way the system works is the Dean gives their recommendation to the committee. Their recommendation was they should be fired. It is not back tracking.
They stated they were immediately placed on administrative suspension, and an investigation would occur where a decision would be made. If part of this process is to take into account interviews with students AND faculty, where are you coming from in that article their position has changed? Look at the dates
The institution’s academic dean has recommended that Professor Sullivan, who, according to the internal document, said that he had been unaware of the student’s loss, be fired for the remark.
In a “notice of proposed removal” issued last week, the dean wrote that the joke constituted “notoriously disgraceful conduct” under the academy’s rules forbidding “misconduct generally criminal, infamous, dishonest or notoriously disgraceful.”
....
“I find there is no lesser sanction to effectively address this misconduct” than dismissal, the dean, Shashi Kumar, wrote.
The notice, dated Aug. 10, informed Professor Sullivan that he had 10 days to contest his dismissal. He has been suspended in the meantime.
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The academy is led by Rear Adm. James A. Helis, who said: “The academy’s first priority is the well-being of its students. As soon as I learned of the incident, I immediately placed the professor involved on administrative leave. and he is not teaching class at this time.”
“As with any investigation,” he added, “we are interviewing both students and faculty, and the professor will have the opportunity to respond before we issue our final determination.”
However, here is where I see the problem.
Professor Sullivan stated he was unaware of the students loss, but he excused 3 students to attend funerals in CO.
But the notice said that Professor Sullivan “reasonably should have been aware” of the student’s loss, because the academy had sent out an academywide e-mail about it on July 25, because that student had been absent from Professor Sullivan’s course for several days and because the professor had given permission to two other classmates to miss class so that they could attend a funeral in Colorado.
That's my issue regarding him as an instructor. You are informed 3 of your students will miss classes for days to attend funerals, 1 being a parent and you forgot @ one week later. This comment was made 11 days after the shootings...due the math, student goes home for the funeral, if his father was buried 5 days after the shootings, and he returns 3 days later, that is only what 2 -3 days in class he has been back? You as a professor knowing your students' father was killed and that is why he missed class wouldn't go to the student and personally check with him at the beginning or end of the class to see how he is doing? We are not talking about a huge school.
Now he is saying OOPS I was unaware as his defense. That does not pass the sniff test for me. He got the email from the administration, he excused 3 students for funerals in CO from NY, if he forgot, than I have to ask how invested is he when it comes to his students? It appears to me the answer is they are a number and a name on his roster.
I know KP posters have a positive image regarding Prof. Sullivan, the students like him, but the fact is this is not about a popularity contest, it is about following the regs set forth for employment.
In a “notice of proposed removal” issued last week, the dean wrote that the joke constituted “notoriously disgraceful conduct” under the academy’s rules forbidding “misconduct generally criminal, infamous, dishonest or notoriously disgraceful
It is not personal, it is business. I have to say under that quote, the joke IMPO constituted notoriously disgraceful conduct. I am sure he is a nice guy, he never meant to hurt these students emotionally, but he did and it is the school's right to terminate him.
People are making it personal because he is liked and for that they want to give him a 2nd chance, but this is a business, and if they ignore it, and the next professor who is not liked by the students says the exact same thing, what do they do? They gave a pass to Prof. Sullivan, and this will be the next Profs defense of why they are being singled out for dismissal. It creates a legal mess for the school.
This is bigger than the Professor and his remarks. Again, it is not personal, it is business, Prof. Sullivan knew that when he signed his contract with USMMA.