7 - Attempted Retribution by a Disgruntled Individual

Summary

Coming from a professor, researcher, and administrator with forty-plus years of experience at a major public university, the case study I provide here is, I believe, unique and raises a number of ethical dilemmas as well as a critique of options for handling such situations. My university is highly competitive, both academically and athletically. As a Division 1 school within the NCAA, it expects approximately 700 student athletes to perform extremely well on the field as well as in the classroom. Part of my research for more than 20 years focused on identifying assets that lead to success in these students. My teaching and administrative duties concerned this and other groups of college students.

A few years ago, I took an administrative position in the department at the invitation of our new chair. In this role I had oversight of the program for more than 1,000 majors in our department. I also continued to teach a course on learning and diversity, which attracted both student athletes and students diverse in terms of race/ethnicity and learning style. Several students each term were certified as having learning differences or disabilities. The course grew in size and popularity and student ratings were always high.