Law Professor Dealing With An Evil Dean? Here’s What To Do
Even if the dean is systematically attempting to “end you” academically, you still have options.
I am lucky that I have a dean who understands me. She doesn’t always agree with me, but I’m fine with that. I see the rationale behind most of her decisions. And her reasoning process doesn’t seem arbitrary, random, or vindictive. I’m also not the petulant child that needs to have his way all the time.
It hasn’t always been that way for me. I have gone rounds with deans and associate deans and it is never fun. I will admit I did not handle it well. A bad dean can create lots of unnecessary drama, ruin careers, and forever destroy people’s lives. A good dean should avoid those things if at all possible, and ensure that evil faculty members don’t do those things, either. If you’re not careful, a smart evil dean will play you and you could be suckered into being an evil faculty member without your knowledge. Drama can be all-consuming.
Of course, all deans make mistakes, and you should be forgiving to a new dean trying to find their way. What I’m talking about in this column is how to deal with pure evil.
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If you’ve gotten on a dean’s bad side, or if he or she has no good side, then you have to think about your long-term strategy. If the situation is your own fault, then consider trying to remedy the wrong you created in an adult way. Apologize, buy the dean lunch, and own your mistake. If the dean has it out for you, systematically attempting to “end you” academically, then you still have options. But they’re not pretty.
The first question you have to ask yourself: Are you tenured? If not, you have very few options. Of course, the easiest option might be to leave, perhaps the very thing the dean wishes. If you’re about to go up for tenure, understand the dean is probably planning on sinking you, and may have allies on the faculty ready to help him.
If you are tenured, you might have some power. But if the dean has more things to take away from you or with which to punish you, then you might consider how much worse life can get for you. At this point you should have already gone into protection mode. Did the dean make promises to you? Did you get them in writing? Deans may say one thing to your face and then deny it later. Memorialize any conversation with them, like a good lawyer. Understand that your memorializing the conversations via e-mail may actually make the dean more annoyed, or cause the dean to deny he or she ever said what your wrote in the e-mail. Keep trying.
If you have colleagues who are also being mistreated, the dean may try to play you off one another so that you don’t become allies. Ask around quietly to see who is being targeted. If it turns out that you are all from the same race and/or gender, then think very carefully about the power that knowledge has given you. Don’t go nuclear just yet. Never go nuclear unless there is an all out war, meaning you have nothing left to lose. Take copious notes here. Of course, don’t drag your colleagues into war unless they are willing to go along. They may have fewer options than you.
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If you and your dean have reached the point where he or she’s taken everything from you, then you’re going to have to go to war. Just make sure you have nothing to lose. At this point, remember wars are costly. If you let them, they can consume you. Meanwhile, the dean will be merrily doing all the things that evil deans do because they are drama llamas.
When you’re at war with a dean, think “proportional response.” If the dean takes away a pet project or class, perhaps muster votes against his pet project. If your dean has a habit of maligning your character or gossiping about you to others, make a record of it and get more into the habit of touting your own accomplishments. Be sure to thank those who helped you. Of course, your dean will be omitted.
Does the dean have a habit of yelling at you, belittling you, or saying inappropriate things about colleagues to you? Check your states laws about recording conversations. If you are in a one-party consent state, feel free to bring your phone. If you’re in one of the two-party consent states, just bring a notepad, making a note of what the dean is saying and also how he or she is saying it.
Be very familiar of your law school or university’s procedures. If there are grievance procedures, follow them meticulously. Once you launch into these procedures, understand an evil dean will find ways to punish you even if the procedures forbid it.
If the dean has taken resources from you, start looking into resources he or she won’t be able to touch much. Grants, for example, are a wonderful but not foolproof way to bypass an evil dean.
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Do not do any of the following:
Do not whine. Whining will make you feel like you are not empowered. It will also make your evil dean feel victorious. It will also mean that your colleagues will grow tired of hearing of this battle and, eventually, if you call on them to muster forces, will make them decide they don’t have it in them to help you. Also, let’s not forget the dean may get a first-hand account of your complaints. Always anticipate that knife in your back.
Do not let your hatred of the evil dean consume you. If your college is toxic, avoid it. No one can require that you mentally be present for anything other than classes. You might be required to be physically present for meetings, but we all know that doesn’t mean being mentally present. There is no need for you to take in all the negativity. Focus on that which brings you joy in academia and in your personal life. Now is a great time to take up a hobby to remind yourself that you are a well-rounded person.
Do not confront the evil dean. If the dean is systematically trying to destroy you, all that you are going to get in person is a denial, perhaps some yelling, and a feeling of frustration. It also gives the evil dean personal satisfaction as a drama llama.
Finally, remember it gets better. Eventually the dean will move on. Then, you will have the entire rest of your career to assure that people remember his or her true legacy of toxic failure.
LawProfBlawg is an anonymous professor at a top 100 law school. You can see more of his musings here and on Twitter. Email him at lawprofblawg@gmail.com.
