Stanford Confidential: Sex, Lies And Loathing At The World’s No. 1 B-School by: Ethan Baron on September 14, 2015 | | 407,399 Views September 14, 2015 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit Stanford Graduate School of Business Dean Garth Saloner on campus āKnife. Penis. Town square. Got it.ā Those six words donāt yet mean anything to the 400 MBAs-to-be of storied Stanford Graduate School of Businessās incoming class who rightly believe they have grasped a platinum ticket to the top.Ā But that will change fast as they struggle to understand why Garth Saloner stepped down today as dean of what is widely regarded as the best businessĀ school in the world. In a statement Saloner said: āAs many of you know, the university and I have been vigorously defending a baseless and protracted lawsuit related to a contentious divorce between a current and former member of our faculty.Ā I have become increasingly concerned that the ongoing litigation and growing media interest will distract all of you from the important work that you are doing and unfairly impact this stellar schoolās deserved reputation.ā He was referring to a wrongful termination suit filed by a fired B-school professor who is in the process of getting divorced from another B-school professor with whom Saloner has been having an affair. Poets&Quants had asked Saloner on Wednesday of last week for an interview about the allegations,Ā and followed up with a detailed list of questions to the university about the case on Thursday, Sept. 10. Saloner apparently made his decision to resign after declining a request for an interview and viewing the questions related to claimsĀ in the lawsuit. Stanford says Saloner willĀ leave the deanship next summer, then resume teaching and research duties as a professor at the Graduate School of Business (GSB). WHAT LIES BENEATH THE LOFTY IMAGE Court records in the lawsuit, a letter from staffers to the university, and police investigations suggest that beneath the gilded image of Americaās top-ranked business school lies a troubled culture, possible discrimination against women and older employees and a staff revolt over Saloner’s “increasingly brazen” behavior ā all happening as Stanford has turned a blind eye.Ā Stanford GSB Dean Garth Saloner and professor Deborah Gruenfeld – Daily Mail photo TheĀ professor with whom Saloner embarked onĀ an affair, Deborah Gruenfeld, is a board member of LeanIn.org, the group started by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg to offer women āinspiration and support.ā In an email exchange revealed in the lawsuit, Saloner advises the professor not to approach her divorce “too much” as a woman. The professorās husband, also a professor at the B-schoolĀ when the affair began, has beenĀ fired andĀ now teaches full-time at Apple University, the tech giant’s internal training facility. THE FALLOUT FOR THE WORLDāS NO. 1 BUSINESS SCHOOL Details of the court disputeĀ could be especially damaging to Stanfordās business school since they include allegationsĀ ofĀ professional and financial retribution against Gruenfeldās husband, Jim Phills, contempt for school rules and policies, and claimsĀ that the Graduate School of Business (GSB) is a hostile workplace riven by āpersonal agendas, favoritism, and fear.ā The lawsuit is only the latest in a series of scandals to besmirch the rise of what is now widely considered to be the world’sĀ topĀ business school. This year, Stanford nudged aside Harvard Business School and Wharton for the undisputed No. 1 spot in the U.S. News rankings. Ā And just last week, Forbes proclaimed Stanford No. 1 for the second consecutive time. Related Stories: BEHIND ALL THE SORDID HEADLINES, AN FAQ THAT SHOWS THE SCANDAL IS ABOUT MORE THAN SEX GSB STAFFERS CONDEMN THE LEADERSHIP OF DEAN SALONER THE āROCK STARā PROFESSOR AT THE CENTER OF THE STANFORD SCANDAL GSB SCANDAL: A NON-ISSUE FOR APPLICANTS DEAN GARTH SALONER ABRUPTLY RESIGNS Continue ReadingPage 1 of 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.