What Marshall Faculty Really Think Of The Dean USC Fired

‘WE HAVE A POSITIVE CULTURE AT MARSHALL’

“I am absolutely shocked by the process (or absence thereof) and the decision by the Interim President. We have a positive culture at Marshall, and Jim Ellis has does nothing but to promote the culture of the school. Not consulting the faculty just shows that the office of the president has learned nothing from this year, namely that faculty input should be taken seriously in the governance of the school This is particularly baffling and disappointing since President Austin is holding this position in large part due to the USC faculty making their voices heard. This ‘process’ (if it can be called that) is unacceptable. It shows that the administration has really not changed at all.”

“Jim Ellis is relentlessly positive and committed to the growth of Marshall and USC. I am a minority and have NEVER felt the least bit discriminated against during my stay at Marshall. I have NEVER felt anything other than full, unequivocal support from Jim Ellis and asking him to step down for reasons of equity and diversity would be a travesty of everything USC supposedly is moving towards.”

“This seems to have come out of nowhere! I am just totally shocked. From everything I have seen, Marshall has been run in an exemplary manner. As a female faculty member, I have been heartened to see a dramatic rise in female leadership since I have been here, with women occupying several senior visible leadership roles. As someone who started my job at Marshall with children, and had a child while on the tenure track, I have found Marshall to be extremely accepting of my choices and supportive of my trajectory despite my decision to have a family before getting tenure. In fact, in my home department, all of the junior women have young children and most made the decision to start a family on the tenure track while at Marshall. I am struggling to see how this extremely supportive environment for nurturing female faculty fits with the picture being portrayed of a toxic culture.”

‘DEAN ELLIS HAS FOUND WAYS TO BRING TOP-FLIGHT STUDENTS, TOP-DOLLAR DONORS & TOP FACULTY TALENT TO MARSHALL’

“He is a mentor, a beacon, a great teacher and great leader.”

“Dean Ellis has been a strong steward for the organization. He is a talented development agent, and has found ways to continue to bring top-flight students, top-dollar donors, and top faculty talent to Marshall. We as faculty are then allowed to teach, research, and grow to our heart’s content. I appreciate his mild-mannered approach to our collective. Could he be more engaged? Sure. Does that make him a poor leader? Quite the contrary. Dean Ellis knows his role and helps others make decisions, as needed. He doesn’t overstep, and I appreciate what he does for us as a community. If the OED stuff is serious, he has to go, I agree. If he was unaware of it and didn’t take the proactive approach to the matters, I think he can learn. I would rather he be reprimanded than terminated at this point.”

“The effort to remove Jim Ellis is misguided, counterproductive, and sets OED back ten years. It is because Marshall is at the forefront of having open and honest discussions and creating safe spaces that individuals are now coming forward—individuals who often would be hidden, marginalized, discouraged or afraid in other units and in other universities are now coming forward and this should be seen as a good thing. This is typical and often seen in research—the best performing medical teams often initially report the most number of medical errors as they feel safe to not hide issues and to learn and grow from mistakes. It is also seen regularly in behavioral training. When conducting diversity training, the self-reported bias initially increases as people build awareness of their past behaviors and become motivated to change. We should expect OED cases to actually increase after training, focus and greater awareness—a clear sign of success in long-term awareness, safety, and cultural change.”

“James Ellis has been the best dean that the MSB has ever had. He is a person of the utmost integrity and has provided incredible leadership for the school. Removing him from his position without a full hearing/investigation is unconscionable. We are in an environment now where it seems that accusations become ‘truth’ without due process. As someone who has known Jim Ellis and worked with him for 20 years, I can vouch for his moral character. He deserves a chance to be heard. The MSB has improved dramatically since Jim took office and firing him now without providing clear reasons will do immense damage to the school.”

‘THIS DECISION IS STUPID AND UNFAIR’

“As a female faculty member (and alumnus) I support Dean Ellis 100%. He has done nothing but support and mentor me in my 16 years of teaching at USC. I am very troubled by this decision. It will kill the momentum we have at the Marshall School. I urge the president to reconsider. This is stupid. It is unfair to treat Jim this way after everything he has done for USC and for Marshall. I would consider leaving to go to a different university if this decision stands.”

“Jim has been and would likely continue to be the best dean that the Marshall School has ever had. The request for his resignation is shocking and unimaginable. The notion that he is insensitive to diversity issues is completely wrong. I fear that he is being ousted because he has been identified as old USC: White, male, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant from San Marino. If so, this would be a classic case of reverse discrimination. The university screwed up in the Keck School when the president did not listen to the faculty about the dean. Now, another president proposes to oust Ellis without even consulting with the faculty. His ouster would be very demoralizing to the school. I cannot see how it promotes USC’s mission.”

“This is so unfair and so non-transparent. It is shameful for the university to manage and conduct a critical leadership process this way. Dean Ellis should be the last person in the world to be accused of such behavior. He has always preserved human dignity in all his dealings with staff and faculty. We are being robbed of an excellent leader who has improved the school and provided stability and a nurturing environment—and without even knowing why! I am extremely upset and angry at this way of treating an empathetic and honest human being and an excellent leader. Shame on you USC for such callous blanketing! And with no regard for the impact that this will have on the Marshall School of Business. It is very disrespectful of all the efforts that Dean Ellis has done for USC and Marshall. He is being subjected to public embarrassment for apparent crimes he did not commit. I hope that this decision is reconsidered fairly rather than digging in heels.”

“From my perspective as a female faculty member who is from an underrepresented minority group, I sincerely believe Dean Ellis is doing an excellent job of creating a diverse, inclusive environment at Marshall. He is an exceptional leader, a champion for our faculty and students, and a visionary who has helped Marshall become the top-ranked business school that is it today. It is unfortunate that the very same faculty he has led so successfully for over a decade were not asked for input regarding this decision. Most, if not all of us at Marshall, feel blindsided by this decision. We feel that excluding us from such a drastic decision goes against the very core of inclusively and transparency in faculty governance. ..”

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