I have heard conflicting stories about my departure from MUA and thought I would weigh in at some point, for clarification.
I suppose my frustration with the terribly misguided RLRA "research" assignment, a massive waste of time and energy (considering the students' prior obligations toward clinicals and USMLE
at that time frame), contributed to my termination, as I became more vocal about being part of that fiasco, but that's just speculation. I should mention, it became increasingly difficult to work enthusiastically at MUA since Ralph Crum arrived, because he is a campus bully (and an unscrupulous control freak); proper checks and balances between faculty and administration have since broken down, so I'm starting to think the whole event regarding termination, and getting away from the campus, and the recent changes there, was more a blessing than a curse.
Anyway, here's what happened:
I was given a call (at home) after the term ended, April 18, Good Friday, around 2:30 PM from Ralph Crum telling me I had been terminated and that I needed to clear out my office by 5 PM. I asked what the reason for termination was but only received a mealy-mouthed, evasive response that had nothing to do with the question. I thought, this can't be right, people are heading home today...and most Professors get plenty of warning before being let go, and went down to campus around 3 PM and reluctantly cleared my office out until 4:30 when I saw Sharon Lescott, she demanded to have the keys. I told her I was not done yet and we could not reach a compromise and I ended up keeping the keys over Spring Break (April 29-May 3) when I was off in California seeing family. I was never given 2 weeks notice or a written warning about my performance, or a fair and valid explanation for termination, as is prescribed by the St Kitts Employment Protection Act.
I came back to Nevis May 4. On May 9, I was told by an Official at the Dept of Labour investigating my predicament that Sharon Lescott told him "Golly, we do not know why Tom would come to you....we wanted to cooperate and there is a 'lengthy and explicit' Termination Letter which will explain everything." Baffled, since the MUA approach seemed anything but cooperative, I went to the MUA campus immediately to return the keys and see the letter and pick up my contract. Sharon Lescott said she could not find my employment contract (!!) and all the termination letter said was "We appreciate your help. We do not require your services any longer." I was upset and so was the Official who had been told (ie, lied to) that we could pick up the contract and get a lengthy explanation for termination...Later when the same Official at the Department of Labour forced the issue, Ms. Lescott was suddenly able to "find" my contract.
So as you can see, with all the obfuscation and deceit, at some point I realized I was not dealing with honest people, and that MUA officials would distort the truth at any opportunity. I suppose the lack of Human Resource Management at MUA, in conjunction with its geographic location, and a tyrannical new Dean constituted the Perfect Storm that gave rise to such an unusual state of affairs. It seems strange and ironic that people who try come across as "tough" on campus did not have the courage to give me a face-to-face talk regarding my sudden termination at the school, but rather called me at home on a holiday and hid in the shadows when I tried to have a direct conversation about the matter. I would encourage any students to take whatever measures they deem appropriate (angry parents are not a bad start) to ensure that MUA start showing students a little respect, because the current hostile environment would never be considered acceptable at an American medical school, by any stretch of the imagination, for students
paying a lot of money to attend. I wish the best of luck to students who are dealing with this environment currently and hope they can make the best out of a bad situation.
Sincerely,
Tom McCormack, PhD
(former) Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology
I suppose my frustration with the terribly misguided RLRA "research" assignment, a massive waste of time and energy (considering the students' prior obligations toward clinicals and USMLE
at that time frame), contributed to my termination, as I became more vocal about being part of that fiasco, but that's just speculation. I should mention, it became increasingly difficult to work enthusiastically at MUA since Ralph Crum arrived, because he is a campus bully (and an unscrupulous control freak); proper checks and balances between faculty and administration have since broken down, so I'm starting to think the whole event regarding termination, and getting away from the campus, and the recent changes there, was more a blessing than a curse.
Anyway, here's what happened:
I was given a call (at home) after the term ended, April 18, Good Friday, around 2:30 PM from Ralph Crum telling me I had been terminated and that I needed to clear out my office by 5 PM. I asked what the reason for termination was but only received a mealy-mouthed, evasive response that had nothing to do with the question. I thought, this can't be right, people are heading home today...and most Professors get plenty of warning before being let go, and went down to campus around 3 PM and reluctantly cleared my office out until 4:30 when I saw Sharon Lescott, she demanded to have the keys. I told her I was not done yet and we could not reach a compromise and I ended up keeping the keys over Spring Break (April 29-May 3) when I was off in California seeing family. I was never given 2 weeks notice or a written warning about my performance, or a fair and valid explanation for termination, as is prescribed by the St Kitts Employment Protection Act.
I came back to Nevis May 4. On May 9, I was told by an Official at the Dept of Labour investigating my predicament that Sharon Lescott told him "Golly, we do not know why Tom would come to you....we wanted to cooperate and there is a 'lengthy and explicit' Termination Letter which will explain everything." Baffled, since the MUA approach seemed anything but cooperative, I went to the MUA campus immediately to return the keys and see the letter and pick up my contract. Sharon Lescott said she could not find my employment contract (!!) and all the termination letter said was "We appreciate your help. We do not require your services any longer." I was upset and so was the Official who had been told (ie, lied to) that we could pick up the contract and get a lengthy explanation for termination...Later when the same Official at the Department of Labour forced the issue, Ms. Lescott was suddenly able to "find" my contract.
So as you can see, with all the obfuscation and deceit, at some point I realized I was not dealing with honest people, and that MUA officials would distort the truth at any opportunity. I suppose the lack of Human Resource Management at MUA, in conjunction with its geographic location, and a tyrannical new Dean constituted the Perfect Storm that gave rise to such an unusual state of affairs. It seems strange and ironic that people who try come across as "tough" on campus did not have the courage to give me a face-to-face talk regarding my sudden termination at the school, but rather called me at home on a holiday and hid in the shadows when I tried to have a direct conversation about the matter. I would encourage any students to take whatever measures they deem appropriate (angry parents are not a bad start) to ensure that MUA start showing students a little respect, because the current hostile environment would never be considered acceptable at an American medical school, by any stretch of the imagination, for students
paying a lot of money to attend. I wish the best of luck to students who are dealing with this environment currently and hope they can make the best out of a bad situation.
Sincerely,
Tom McCormack, PhD
(former) Professor of Neuroscience and Physiology