Scott Gerber, a law professor at Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit College of Law, is facing the threat of termination after being accused of bullying others who worked at the law school. Gerber, who has taught at Ohio Northern since 2001, was removed from his classroom in April.
According to court documents, Ohio Northern University said Gerber has committed “grave misconduct, engaging in a continuing and pervasive pattern of bullying, harassment, and verbal abuse of untenured, junior faculty, and other untenured faculty that has resulted in wasted resources, a hostile working environment, and ultimately, has contributed to faculty choosing to leave the university.”
The university began to investigate complaints against Gerber in January and Melissa Baumann, the president of Ohio Northern University, sent Gerber a letter in the spring which contained a recommendation for him to be no longer be part of the tenured faculty at Ohio Northern University.
After his removal from campus, Gerber wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal claiming he does not know why he is facing termination and suspects the school’s investigation into him is related to his public opinions regarding the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies. He filed a complaint with the local court in June against seven Ohio Northern professors including Melissa Baumann, the president of Ohio Northern University and Charles Rose, the law school dean.
