Harassment Findings Triggered The Fall Of Oxford Saïd’s Dean

Oxford University is facing renewed scrutiny over its handling of harassment and misconduct complaints after the abrupt resignation earlier this year of Soumitra Dutta, dean of Saïd Business School. Dutta stepped down in September after a university investigation upheld multiple harassment complaints against him – a fact not included in the school’s public announcement of his departure.

The female academic whose complaint was upheld in the Dutta probe had originally sought his help for protection from a long-time senior professor while the latter was on bail, accused of rape. Instead of offering support, Dutta harassed her, according to the university’s investigation.

Oxford appointed Mette Morsing, director of its Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, as interim dean beginning September 22. In an email to colleagues, Morsing pledged to advance the school’s “mission of impact from within” – while Oxford thanked Dutta for his “contributions to the school over the last three years.”

‘I FEEL VERY ATTRACTED TO YOU. CAN SOMETHING HAPPEN BETWEEN US?’

Dutta went on medical leave in May, and faculty messages at the time made no mention of the investigation, as Poets&Quants and Bloomberg reported. According to a new report in The Times of London, the university engaged an external barrister to conduct the inquiry, which concluded in July.

Oxford’s definition of harassment is that it involves “engaging in unwanted and unwarranted conduct, which has the purpose or effect of violating another person’s dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.” The five-month review substantiated three separate instances in which Dutta, who is married, made unwanted advances toward the female academic who had asked him for help concerning the senior professor. It partially upheld a fourth.

One allegation confirmed in the investigation’s findings included Dutta telling the woman: “I feel very attracted to you. Can something happen between us?” Dutta denied making the comment but the woman told a number of colleagues about his unwanted romantic advances and their witness statements convinced the inquiry to uphold her complaint.

The probe triggered unease among Saïd faculty and staff. A May letter that was among documents reviewed by Poets&Quants expressed “deep concern regarding the lack of communication and support” around the process. 

Oxford told Bloomberg in a statement in September that it “does not tolerate harassment or sexual misconduct” and pointed to “a strong framework of support” for staff and students. The university added that all concerns had been addressed through “established procedures” but declined further comment on “confidential HR or grievance matters.”

CLAIMS OF DEEPER FAILURES

Documents reviewed by Poets&Quants suggest wide internal dissatisfaction with how Oxford has handled complaints at Saïd – whether harassment or more serious allegations. People familiar with the circumstances leading to Dutta’s resignation described what they see as a culture of silence that prioritizes reputation over transparency.

Oxford has also faced criticism for its handling of the matter involving the emeritus professor. Despite an arrest on suspicion of rape, he was allowed to return to university premises while on bail, even as faculty and staff pressed for stronger protections. The female academic who later accused Dutta of harassment had originally sought his help for protection from the professor; instead, her complaint states, Dutta propositioned her – a sequence of events that has intensified anger over how Oxford responds when staff raise safety concerns.

Police eventually decided not to charge the senior professor, informing the alleged victim that the case would not proceed. A senior officer upheld that decision following a Victim’s Right to Review; the woman has since filed a request for judicial review challenging the police decision. The legal challenge has drawn external support: Law for Change, a nonprofit, awarded the woman £10,000 to help fund the effort – an indication, the group said, of both the case’s public importance and the systemic issues it raises.

Union officials have likewise criticized Oxford for lifting suspensions on those accused of serious misconduct while complaints remain unresolved, calling it a breach of trust that leaves victims exposed.

Other accounts point to longstanding concerns at Saïd about how complaints against senior figures are managed. Faculty correspondence reviewed by Poets&Quants shows repeated requests for clarity around Oxford’s procedures, as well as frustration over what some describe as institutional inaction.

A SCHOOL IN TRANSITION

For Oxford Saïd, the leadership change was abrupt. Dutta, who previously served as dean at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business and deputy dean at INSEAD, had positioned himself as a champion of female leadership and regularly highlighted the school’s progress on gender diversity in its MBA program. His tenure, however, lasted barely two years. The Times reports he has now returned to the U.S.

It is not the first abrupt departure on Dutta’s curriculum vitae. While at Cornell he oversaw the 2016 merger of three separate schools – the Johnson Graduate School of Management, the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and the School of Hotel Administration – into the newly created SC Johnson College of Business. He became its first dean in 2016, but in early 2018 he resigned suddenly for reasons never publicly revealed. He remained on Cornell’s faculty until joining Oxford in 2022.

Two articles in The Cornell Sun chronicled the surprise surrounding Dutta’s departure: the first, on January 30, 2018, described a terse announcement by then-Provost Michael Kotlikoff; the second, on February 2, noted that the unexplained resignation “baffled” students, faculty, alumni, staff, and donors. However, Bloomberg on November 19 this year reported that Dutta left Cornell “following a personal relationship with a junior employee, according to people familiar with the situation.”

In a statement to The Times regarding his departure from Oxford, Dutta says, “I have always championed the cause of women leaders in business and society in many ways including through special scholarships and programs. I take all allegations of harassment extremely seriously and throughout the investigation process, I consistently affirmed my commitment to the expectations of the University in its harassment policy. I deeply regret causing any distress or offence by anything I said, and it was never my intention to be anything other than supportive of my former colleague. The allegations arose in the context of an ongoing job dispute at the University and it would not be appropriate to comment further.”  

RENEWED SCRUTINY

Beyond the reputational damage, the episode raises questions about governance and accountability at one of the world’s most prestigious universities. To steer the school through a period of instability, Oxford has turned to Morsing, a sustainability scholar and former United Nations official.

In correspondence and accounts reviewed by Poets&Quants, faculty and staff describe a climate of confusion and distrust that predates Dutta’s resignation. Multiple colleagues raised concerns about the university’s silence during the months-long investigation, noting that no formal explanation was given when Dutta abruptly went on leave. Others expressed alarm that an emeritus professor arrested on suspicion of a serious crime had been allowed back onto campus while on bail, despite repeated requests for stronger protections. Some faculty also questioned why Dutta’s leave was publicly described as being “for health reasons,” which they believed did not reflect the circumstances, and said the university’s handling of both cases underscored what they viewed as contradictory procedures and inconsistent messages. Some described a pervasive fear of retaliation for speaking out – a concern echoed by staff members who said Oxford’s opaque processes made them reluctant to raise complaints at all.

The fallout from the Dutta resignation occurs amid mounting concern about sexual harassment across higher education in England. A Guardian survey published in September found that one in three women report having endured harassment at a UK university, while nearly one in five say they have been sexually assaulted or subjected to violence. Reporting rates remain low – only 13% of students came forward to their institutions – and fewer than half were satisfied with the handling of their cases.

Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, called the findings “a national scandal” and warned that university leaders “cannot keep turning a blind eye.”

DON’T MISS OXFORD DEAN RESIGNS AMID ACCUSATIONS OF HARASSMENT BY A FEMALE COLLEAGUE: REPORT

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