After three rocky years under the leadership of bioethicist Glenn McGee, faculty members at the Alden March Bioethics Institute (AMBI) at the Albany Medical College are breathing a sigh of relief that he was sacked. For McGee, however, the battle to preserve his storied reputation—and his six-month severance package—has just begun.
"The feeling at AMBI is that this has been a very difficult time," says Bonnie Steinbock, a University at Albany, State University of New York, philosopher who teaches a reproductive ethics course for AMBI. "But we are going to survive, we are going to move on."
McGee, 40, who was fired as head of the institute and lost the John A. Balint Endowed Chair on May 14 but remains a tenured professor there, has sued the Albany Medical College (A.M.C.) for allegedly failing to officially recognize the severance package that it offered him and that he accepted by signing and returning the proposal two weeks later, the Albany Times Union reported last month. In his complaint, filed by the law firm Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna in Albany County Supreme Court, McGee says that the college agreed to pay "his salary and benefits through December 31," at which point his "employment would be terminated."
McGee confirmed in an interview with the Times Union that he had been receiving his paycheck as promised, but complained that the college had failed to officially recognize the agreement by returning a countersigned final copy to him. The college declined to comment because of pending litigation. McGee did not respond to multiple e-mail and telephone requests for comment from ScientificAmerican.com, although someone using his name referred to the phone calls in comments on an earlier story.
According to McGee's filing, the college gave him the boot because he "was ineffective as a manager" and the subject of several employee complaints. Since his departure, his suit alleges, he "has been forbidden from going to the bioethics department" and has been "prevented from speaking to colleagues and students."
Interviews with current and former faculty members suggest that at least two of these complaints were from employees he directly supervised. Officials at the Albany Law School also complained after McGee allegedly made disparaging comments about a faculty member. In addition, questions have been raised about McGee's romantic relationship with the director of graduate studies, Summer Johnson, who resigned last month. McGee told the Times Union that A.M.C. president James Barba assured him that his relationship with the junior faculty member did not violate school policy.
In the aftermath of his dismissal, two prospective employees have also come forward with accusations that he misled them about potential jobs at AMBI. He allegedly promised paid faculty positions that never materialized to bioethicists Linda MacDonald Glenn, an adjunct professor at the University of Vermont in Burlington, and Rebecca Feinberg, consultant for the Boston Medical Center. As a result of his alleged empty promises, Glenn says that both she and Feinberg ended up doing work for AMBI for which they were not compensated. What's more: both still lack the professorships that he reportedly offered them.
"The rule switched in the middle of the game," Glenn says. "I am disappointed because I certainly admired and respected [McGee] and thought of him as a friend—and thought I could trust and believe him." Beginning in January 2007 Glenn says she traveled to Albany more than half a dozen times to work with AMBI staff members on grant proposals that would supposedly fund her salary. When these staffers resigned last year after clashing with McGee, she says, Glenn struggled to clarify her position and obtain the grant money to fund it. Glenn says that McGee told her in October that her 'standing appointment' had been approved and led her to believe that she would become a full-time faculty member at the Albany Medical College this past spring.
In fact, after teaching a course for three months without receiving a paycheck, she discovered that she was merely a contract worker. She recently wrote a letter to interim AMBI director Vincent Verdile, dean of AMC and executive vice president of health affairs at Albany Medical Center, and Director of Graduate Studies Henry Pohl seeking clarification of her status, culminating nearly two years of efforts to come on board.
Feinberg—who has degrees in law, bioethics, and biotechnology—could not be reached for comment. But according to Glenn, Steinbock and other Feinberg confidantes, she moved from Boston to Albany to conduct her own research and to assist McGee—without pay—with his upcoming book on autism. "I am delighted to announce the arrival of visiting faculty member Rebecca Feinberg, who joins AMBI for the summer and possibly fall," McGee wrote in an e-mail to AMBI faculty members on April 28. Feinberg agreed to do the pro bono work, colleagues say, because McGee assured her that she would soon become a full-time faculty member. When Feinberg recently inquired about her status, school officials allegedly told her that they had no record of her as a once or future employee.
"She's currently not on our faculty," A.M.C. spokesperson Nicole Pitaniello told ScientificAmerican.com today. "It is our understanding that she has expressed interest in being a faculty member." Pitaniello explained that it is possible to teach in AMBI's online master's program without being an Albany Medical College faculty member, but to become a visiting, adjunct or full-time professor requires "submission and a formal process that is reviewed by the appointments, promotions and tenure committee."
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Add CommentHas anyone asked the students what they think? And is the administration (specifically, Deans Verdile and Pohl) ) reassuring the students that they care about what happens to them and that the program with continue?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs the former Director of Graduate Studies, I can answer Las Vegas Lola's questions both with resounding "No"s. In fact, the reason that I resigned from the College and the Institute was because the administration showed no concern for the students' interests or right to know what was going at AMBI for more than two weeks after Glenn McGee was no longer Director of the Institute. As the then overseer of all the online graduate programs, I was specifically told, as were the other faculty, not to tell anyone outside the building, including graduate program students and faculty, about Dr. McGee's removal as director due to the potential effects upon applications, enrollment, and drop outs.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOnce students found out about this significant change at the Institute, questions came flying in from students asking, "What is happening at AMBI?" However, I was not given the liberty to tell the students what was going on, and in fact was told to lie during advising appointments and by email and to tell them nothing about what was happening, including whether McGee would be teaching a class within a few weeks. Moreover, I was specifically told that if my personal feelings about the detrimental effects of McGee's removal were to get in the way of my silence, that the administration would need to "talk to me" about that. More than a dozen students wrote letters asking about Dr. McGee's status and the future of the program, but I was only allowed to reply when I assured the administration that I would be a "cheerleader" for the program and share none of my reservations about the future of the Institute or the impact of McGee's no longer being director on the graduate program.
To recap: the Administration ignored dozens of student complaints, told the faculty to hide what they had done, then offered me a $40,000 bribe--a permanent salary increase--to toe the party line. I no longer could in good conscience serve as Director over a program in a College where the concern for student interests was so disregarded.
It hardly needs to be said that this article portrays me as having abandoned my students. I agree with the last post: why didn't someone ask my students whether I spent hundreds of hours on advising them, whether or not I was an honest and effective Director, and whether they believe I would sell them out for a raise, let alone lie and potentially ruin their careers?
I fail to see how this story, note I say story and not article because it does not deserve to be called as such, falls under the category of "top stories" on the website of Scientific American. Never in my life would I have expected a headline of "Embattled bioethicist sues Albany Medical College over severance package" to grace the pages of this magazine or its associated website. I seriously doubt that your readership comes to the site to read things such as this. It is as bizarre as when CNN has more pieces on Britney Spears than it does on anything else on its site. Please return to your science reporting roots and shy away from becoming an unsubstantiated gossip column.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs a student in the Bioethics program, I can only speak to what I have personal knowledge of. And I can tell you for a fact that I have been contacted by the faculty and my mentor within the program. In addition, I also spoke with Dr. Pohl at a recent dinner for an onsite class that I had attended. I have been given assurances that the program will continue and that faculty that had previously left or disassociated themselves from the program are interested in working with AMBI. Given the nature of the accusations against Dr. McGee, I do not think that a 2 week delay in releasing this information was either unreasonable or unwarranted. It is obvious that this is a HR issue which has serious implications for Dr. McGee's reputation. As to Ms. Johnson's statements regarding what the administration did or did not offer or what they did or did not say, I was not there so I cannot and will not comment on those statements.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe facts of this case are clear: Dr. McGee is no longer the John Balint chair nor the director of AMBi. The HR piece comes with confidentiality, to protect the demoted employee (particularly this employee who has allegedly paid so much to lawyers (divorce and libel). Ms. Johnson, the future Mrs. MCGee, has really gone over the edge with her claim of a bribe...for what ? The program is strong, faculty are excited and ready to work collaboratively and yes without Dr. McGee who has taught exactly one course last year (to not so wonderful reviews). This ugly, inflated story is a true tragedy but it is like a reality tv show that should be OVER.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI was also at the summer practicum at Albany Med. for AMBI. We were reassured by staff of AMBI and the medical college of the continuance of the program in Bioethics that was in place before Dr. McGee was on staff. I will continue as a student until I graduate in May of next year without reservation. I did not have Dr. Johnson or Dr. McGee as instructors so cannot comment on them professionally. I can state unequivically the other professors are very supportive, sincere, and dedicated to the advancement of Bioethics as a program to train myself and fellow students (present and future) to be the professionals we want to be.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe only complaint I have is having fellow students left hanging because Dr. Johnson quit less then a week before she was supposed to teach a class this summer. She may have felt what she did was justified, but she left her students in a lurch, an unprofessional decision as far as I am concerned. But, that is just my opinion.
Are the medical school folks really trying to disown their obligations to Feinberg and Glenn? -- McGee was acting as the medical school's agent -- they put him in position of power and fame and publicized it to their benefit, now they are ready to toss him and all the good he did aside. Glenn and Feinberg would have no reason to doubt that McGee had the power to offer them jobs. The medical school can claim that they weren't hired weren't hired 'officially' but that is exactly how agency litigation starts -- The organization claims it isn't bound by what the agent promised.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAh, Ms. Johnson, could it be that perhaps the administration of the AMBI is less ethical than the man they bounced? (A man who does seem to have faults.) What you are describing is the SOP of university administrations everywhere.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is sounding more and more like an insider clash, with a veteran backstabber somewhere in the background. My eyes would be drawn to the man behind the curtain, who would be likely to be either the next director, a good friend of McGee's successor, or else a colleague setting up some quid-pro-quo trading chips that he/she can cash in later for support to get grant money.
Those reading this who think academia is above such gangster politics are sadly mistaken. That is how things are run. Some areas of science are extremely nasty, while some are pretty decent.
Well, to be fair, anybody who has been married more than once might be 'guilty' of bad judgment -- and we don't know what shape the marriage was in before the alleged affair started. It certainly sounds like the marriage is irreparably broken, now. I'm sure that the soon-to-be ex doesn't deserve to be treated badly and It is very sad that the divorce is acrimonious -- the children are ones who will suffer -- I hope for all of their sakes that bitter feelings can be put aside and the best interests of the children be put first.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is so off topic, it's not even funny, but since it is out there... I am not sure the current wife should be so outraged and hurt since SHE was the cause of McGee's first divorce. SHE was the young ingenue at Penn (one of many) and he, the serial philanderer, using his power to seduce. She was a homewrecker, herself, once, too.
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