Robert Hill resigned as dean of the College of Education and Human Development on Dec. 17. Photo by Natosha Lund/The Dakota Student

After Robert Hill’s resignation as dean of the College of Education and Human Development, it was announced that Anne Walker will serve as acting dean through the spring 2016 semester. Walker served as acting dean during an investigation into Hill’s conduct.

On December 17, Robert Hill resigned as dean of the College of Education and Human Development. 

Hill’s resignation comes after an internal investigation concluded that Hill not only failed to follow the school’s Code of Conduct, but also participated in many forms of unwanted and harassing behaviors.

The investigation, conducted by Title IX coordinator Donna Smith and Deputy Title IX coordinator John Miller, interviewed 15 individuals in relation to Hill’s conduct as dean. The individuals claimed that Hill made sexual comments to employees, and showed them a photo of a horse with an erect penis.

Hill, whose resignation took effect Dec. 31, issued a rebuttal to the report, saying that, “There are repeated instances in which my comments have been taken out of context by the anonymous individuals who related them to Mr. Miller and Ms. Smith,” Hill wrote “While recognizing that this report reflects a considerable amount of work on the part of its authors, some of the allegations lead me to believe that there was a lack of follow-through with members of my staff.”

During the investigation, three anonymous women were interviewed, and from their comments, the investigation concluded “Dean Hill’s conduct with the horse photograph demonstrates a pattern of behavior over an extended period of time directed toward women that made the women uncomfortable and reluctant to meet with Dean Hill alone.”

In his rebuttal, Hill argued that he is not biassed.

“The question then arises, if all of these allegations are true, if I were truly a sexist and misogynist with deplorable communication and management skills, wouldn’t UND have discovered this before it hired me in 2014? Or has some sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde transformation occurred since my arrival at UND?”

The investigation also made mention of a 96-page complaint filed against Hill in 2014. This complaint, made by members of the Kinesiology and Public Health Education department, raised concerns about Hill’s ability to lead.

The complaint brought issues with Hill’s autocratic control, micromanaging, lack of open communication as well as his egregious refusal to follow policies and procedures.

The complaint alleges Hill behaved with a lack of empathy, ignoring the needs of a student in severe financial distress, even after faculty members had brought it to his attention multiple times, in addition to harassing professor James Whitehead, who had often brought his concerns to Hill’s attention.

Alex Bertsch is a contributor for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]