Patrick Lloyd's responses to faculty complaints

Minnesota Daily: Mary Beth Brosky, a clinic director of maxillofacial prosthetics, said she met with Lloyd several times to ask for much-needed staff support. She was acting as her own receptionist, lab technician and dental assistant. She left the school because she said her clinic appeared not to be valued. Although Lloyd was cordial in their conversations, no action resulted and she said she left feeling misled by him.

Patrick Lloyd: "This incident of a staffing shortage preceded my arrival at the School of Dentistry. I told Dr. Brosky of my desire to work with university human administration to help get her more staff. I was in the process of improving the situation when Dr. Brosky accepted a new position elsewhere."

Daily: Nelson Rhodus described being on a hiring search committee for a particular position in which he said Lloyd pre-selected the candidate, a friend from Iowa, for the position. It appeared to him the entire search process was a sham.

Response: "Unfortunately, people involved in hiring committees are sometimes disappointed when their own choice of a candidate is rebuffed by the full committee in favor of someone the committee believes would be a better fit. I respect Dr. Rhodus' work on that particular committee but several others were involved with the decision and a Committee Chair led the process. That Chair is the best person to discuss that search process."

Daily: Many people, including interim Dean Judith Buchanan, called Lloyd's leadership style "micromanaging," down to picking paint colors.

Response: "I recognize that most people in academia have strong opinions and sometimes resent leaders charting the course or making final decisions. While I did not micromanage the new design of the School of Dentistry, I was asked by the designer for my thoughts and, as the head of the school, complied. It is understandable that other people would have preferred to make any given decision a different way, but with leadership comes accountability."

Daily: Nelson Rhodus and another faculty member described instances of being screamed at and berated both publicly and inside Lloyd's office.

Response: "This is a personal perception based on Dr. Rhodus' recollections. I have a very different recollection and remember many occasions where I offered support and counsel for both Dr. Rhodus and other faculty members. I wish my former colleagues well and don't think it will advance the goals of the School of Dentistry to quibble over whose recollection is more accurate."

Daily: Charlie Schachtele's widow asked a family friend to tell Lloyd he couldn't come to Schachtele's memorial service because of the confrontational relationship Lloyd and he had. Multiple faculty members confirmed Lloyd wasn't there and the friend who asked Lloyd not to attend confirmed how the request occurred.

Response: "When a grieving family member has a preference about who should attend a memorial service, reasonable people honor that preference. I did so in this case and would never want to comment further about a deceased colleague with whom I worked."

Daily: Some faculty, including Muriel Bebeau, accused Lloyd of interfering with their curriculum. Some examples are: practice management curriculum, ethics curriculum and treatment planning curriculum.

Response: "Changes in higher ed curricula are made and approved by curriculum committees comprised of qualified faculty members who act in the best interests of the overarching educational mission. All curriculum changes at the School of Dentistry during my tenure were made and approved by the sitting curriculum committees. Faculty members' concerns and questions were addressed by the appropriate and corresponding university committees."

Daily: One prominent researcher left the University of Minnesota because of Lloyd, the atmosphere he created, and their personal interactions. The researcher, one of the most prominent scientists in his field, brought his extremely successful lab to a different university.

Response: "Many faculty members take advantage of opportunities to join other institutions to improve their personal and professional rewards. This is a common occurrence among faculty at large universities. As an administrator, I was proud to recruit and hire renowned faculty from other universities, including Dr. David Bereiter from Brown University, and Dr. Sven Gorr, a respected researcher in salivary diagnostics from the University of Louisville."

Daily: Lloyd awarded tenure upon hire to eight people, including Buchanan and Peter Berthold, which triggered an investigation. Faculty members have publicly said in open forums that the investigation wasn't thorough enough.

Response: "Dr. Frank Cerra, the (former) Senior Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School, assigned Dr. Barbara Brandt (Assistant Vice President of Academic Health Center Special Programs) to investigate this claim. After a thorough and independent evaluation of all hires during the period in question, Dr. Cerra reported there were no irregularities in hires or rank/tenure determinations, according to the University's policies and standards. This finding was shared with faculty who had voiced related concerns. People who continue to quarrel about those hirings are quarreling with the findings of a respected and independent committee."

Daily: Many faculty members said they felt as if they lacked a voice under Lloyd. It would be excellent if he could address areas in which he did take faculty input and act on it.

Response: "During my tenure at the School of Dentistry, the bylaws were finalized and approved. This process began years before I became Dean and had remained unfinished. The resulting bylaws document that was approved -- with input from faculty representatives -- defined faculty members' governance role in the School."

Additional comments:

"I'm also proud that we held more than 25 all-school meetings during my tenure to share information with faculty, staff, and students about ongoing activities, events, renovations, and decisions that were in process. At these meetings, I solicited feedback and questions, and provided answers to questions that were posed by the groups."

"Other items worth noting include the fact that a budget advisory committee was formed during my tenure, and this group was comprised of faculty, staff, and students from areas throughout the School. These stakeholders contributed to the decision-making process as it related to reductions in the School's budget that were a consequence of reduced state allocations."

"For the more than 40 faculty members hired during my tenure, individual search committees were formed that were comprised of staff, students, and faculty, as appropriate. These representatives participated in candidate selections and interviews that preceded the final selection and hiring process."

Read the related article: Sources: School of Dentistry must change