On Tuesday, D.J. Durkin was reinstated as head coach for the University of Maryland’s football team prompting university president, Wallace D. Loh, to announce his resignation; but on Wednesday, the university reversed its course and fired the coach.
As reported in this New York Times article, the board of trustees at the University of Maryland chose a bully over their long-standing president because they were more concerned about winning in football than they were in creating a safe academic culture. Thankfully the president, who had announced his retirement because of this, stood up to the trustees and reversed their decision and fired the bully coach.
The unfortunate reality is in most organizations when a bully is considered a star, they, not their targets are protected. This occurring in an academic institution is appalling. Appalling because it teaches young minds that it is okay to bully, as long as it helps them win. The entire board of trustees should be tossed out because of this. Unless they are, anyone considering going to the University of Maryland should reconsider.