Milwaukee Library School Dean
Resigns Amid Controversy
The longtime dean of the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee School of Information Studies has resigned effective September 30. Mohammed Aman, who has served as dean since 1979, will “return to the SOIS faculty, where he plans to work until retirement,” according to Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher, who announced the resignation September 16.
The resignation follows the release of a complaint filed against Aman in 2001 alleging that he engaged in discrimination against employees on the basis of age, gender, race, and national origin, and that he engaged in retaliatory actions against employees, according to the September 17 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Associate Professor Alexandra Dimitroff filed the charges on behalf of others in the school with less job security.
According to the complaint, Aman created a “hostile atmosphere” in the department by making inappropriate racial or gender-based comments about faculty members and giving preference to men over women in salary levels. The Journal Sentinel reported that UWM Attorney Kathryn M. West had investigated the allegations and found that Aman violated university policies in about half of the 18 situations described.
The paper said that Aman had written Zimpher in May saying the allegations were false, that he had been treated unfairly, and that during his deanship the staff and student body had become more diverse.
Posted September 23, 2002.
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