A professor from the Kansas State University college of business says he’s looking for justice.
K-State Professor Tom Wright says it all started in 2009 with teacher evaluations from his students for an upper level business management class.
In January 2010 Wright noticed some possible tampering with the evaluations, and launched an investigation in conjuction with the director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning Vicki Clegg. The investigation uncovered evidence of tampering which changed favorable marks to lower evalutions.
Wright said he felt such an incident warranted an investigaton from senior K-State officials, and brought the case before President Kirk Schulz, and Provost April Mason. Wright says time passed, and after what he felt was an insufficient response from the university… he took action.
In January of 2011 Wright collaborated with K-State collegian writer Jason Strachman Miller to publish an article on the case.
Wright says whistle blowers are often victimized, and believes his recent loss of Jon Wefald Leadership Chair endowment is a direct result of his continued probing into the incident.
Vice President for Communications and Marketing Jeffrey Morris says the university believes some of Wright’s conclusions on the matter are inaccurate, and says the loss of the endowment was not connected to the TEVAL incident. Morris says the procedure for granting the endowment is up for evaluation every five years, and is part of standard procedure. Morris also urges professors who feel the need for added security during the TEVAL process to use the online version. Morris declined further comment due to Kansas State University’s personnel privacy policies.
Wright says this stance from the university is “all smoke and mirrors”. Wright says at this point he would just like the university to admit its mistakes, and write a formal apology for damaging his good name.
