STORY 25

I’m a former assistant professor. I was forced from my job by a tenured colleague with close personal ties to the vice president of my college in response to complaints I had made to colleagues and Human Resources about this colleague’s attempts to sabotage my career as well as the career of another junior colleague.

I believe he was motivated by simple jealousy and malignant spite. When I requested permission to leave the college with the equipment I had purchased for my laboratory on start-up funds allotted to me by my employment contract, I was offered a single microscope and told I would need to sign an NDA in exchange. I declined.

Non-renewal of my position was unjust, capricious, and in violation of my employment contract. I was threatened with the blackballing of my career if I even appealed the decision, as was my right. So I applied to another school, and received a 75% merit scholarship for all 3 years. It’s the only way I could think of to make myself safe from future harm. My college has caused irreparable harm to my career. The one thing they couldn’t take from me without my permission was my voice. I intend to share my story, in hopes that other lives will be spared from ruin by petty individuals who seek personal vengeance at the expense of another person’s livelihood, health, home, and promise. It took one person 18 months to destroy a career that it took me 25 dedicated years to build. For nothing. That is not democracy. That is tyranny.