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[midtowner]

I am a new department head and have a sensitive situation with a very troublesome and prickly colleague. This colleague is new to our university (a somewhat traditional Catholic institution) and she is intent on upsetting and disregarding any and all unwritten and written norms as a matter of course. She is hostile, confrontational, and downright rude--especially to men and to those whom she disagrees with politically. She favors females over male students and complains constantly. No matter the occasion or issue--she complains. On top of this--she is lazy. Well, she disregards works she deems irrelevant and is involved in "community" work she believes is worthy. 

Worst of all--she seems intent on provoking a confrontation by directly pushing a pro-choice agenda in the classroom. Ours is a rather small department (10) and her presence absolutely is killing me. Personally, we have gotten along--but professionally she is an absolute nightmare. What on Earth can I do to steer her in the right direction? If I confront her absolutely dreadful conduct and attitude, I am fairly sure she will lash out (which is her way). I usually deal with problems by subtle suggestion and maneuvers--but she has only one agenda (hers) and has no intention of being a team player. Do I go to the Dean? Beg her to change? Help.

[dellaroux]

If it's Mary Daly you thank your lucky stars that you have someone whose classes will fill and who will attract students for years to the program.

[shrek]

People this insensitive don't get subtlety. Confront and do it soon. Be specific and don't let her get away with, well that's just the way I do things. Imagine what other problems have developed because of her.
The problem of course is that one talk will not end the bad behavior. You have to push back hard (and repeat as necessary).

[antiphon1]

Have a private conversation with her.  Explain how her personal issues are causing problems for the department and could potentially harm her career.  Be as forthright as possible and list the behaviors you have identified as needing attention.  Communicate clear expectations for how you want her to change these behaviors.

As best you can, try to emphasize her strengths rather than focusing on her negative qualities during the conversation.  I suspect she has some personal and professional insecurities driving her behavior.  Not that her personal issues are your problem.  An empathetic approach will probably allow you to avoid an emotionally charged exchange. 

Good luck.

[engineer_adrift]

Does she have tenure?

If not, don't reappoint her.  If so, counsel her in writing and prepare to go to the mat on this. 

A "traditional Catholic college" does not have to and must not tolerate a pro-abortion stance in the classroom.  Does your personnel handbook have language about supporting Catholic values?

Best
E_A

[inthelab]

A "traditional Catholic college" does not have to and must not tolerate a pro-abortion stance in the classroom.  Does your personnel handbook have language about supporting Catholic values?

Best
E_A

Really?  I've had friends at Georgetown who would find that news.

[engineer_adrift]

A "traditional Catholic college" does not have to and must not tolerate a pro-abortion stance in the classroom.  Does your personnel handbook have language about supporting Catholic values?

Best
E_A

Really?  I've had friends at Georgetown who would find that news.

"Traditional" Catholic college.  :)

From Ex Corde Ecclesiae 1990:

§ 2. All teachers and all administrators, at the time of their appointment, are to be informed about the Catholic identity of the Institution and its implications, and about their responsibility to promote, or at least to respect, that identity.

§ 3. In ways appropriate to the different academic disciplines, all Catholic teachers are to be faithful to, and all other teachers are to respect, Catholic doctrine and morals in their research and teaching. In particular, Catholic theologians, aware that they fulfil a mandate received from the Church, are to be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church as the authentic interpreter of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition(50).

[mouseman]

I am a new department head and have a sensitive situation with a very troublesome and prickly colleague. This colleague is new to our university (a somewhat traditional Catholic institution) and she is intent on upsetting and disregarding any and all unwritten and written norms as a matter of course. She is hostile, confrontational, and downright rude--especially to men and to those whom she disagrees with politically. She favors females over male students and complains constantly. No matter the occasion or issue--she complains. On top of this--she is lazy. Well, she disregards works she deems irrelevant and is involved in "community" work she believes is worthy. 

Worst of all--she seems intent on provoking a confrontation by directly pushing a pro-choice agenda in the classroom. Ours is a rather small department (10) and her presence absolutely is killing me. Personally, we have gotten along--but professionally she is an absolute nightmare. What on Earth can I do to steer her in the right direction? If I confront her absolutely dreadful conduct and attitude, I am fairly sure she will lash out (which is her way). I usually deal with problems by subtle suggestion and maneuvers--but she has only one agenda (hers) and has no intention of being a team player. Do I go to the Dean? Beg her to change? Help.

I am sorry but this post seems a bit suspect.  I am highly suspicious of the whole scenario.  All this appeared in  the very first year?  None of this was evident in the campus visit?  She's lazy, you say, she's abrasive, you say, she goes against the basic precepts of your institute, you say.  And yet, NONE of this was detectable prior to this.  All of her references gave a different story?  She was a sweet angel on the phone, at the conference interview, and during the campus visit.  You say that she is "directly pushing a pro-choice agenda in the classroom".  And this was not evident from her application material?
Furthermore, you would want us to believe that she is also sooooo clueless as to do all this in her first year TT?  Or that she has so much money and time that she would go on the present job market, just to get confrontational with your Department, at your University?
So, there seem a few possibilities:
A.  You did not hire her, and you want to get rid of her.  It may have been that the previous head hired her over your objections, or that you disagree with the direction the previous head was taking the department, or something else.  In any case, you may be the one with the problems, not her.
B.  She is not in your department, and you are trying to figure out how to get her out of the institute.
C. You are a higher-level administrator, and don't like her, and want our advice on how to pressure her head into getting rid of her.
D. There a bridge in your past.

[midtowner]

I more a more than a bit insulted by the post that accuses me of ulterior motives. The difficult colleague and scenario I have depicted is truthful and factual, as I see it. If you think I am wrong in my thinking or assumptions--please point this out--but don't accuse me of lying. We all know that a 2 day interview can sometimes fail to reveal much. Once folks take a job and move--they can behave in ways that would even puzzle themselves.

I am honestly seeking help to make a bad situation more bearable. 

[sciencephd]

You need to be more specific.  The post doesn't even say what position this person has, and if tenure is involved.

[untenured]

Taking the post for face value, I'd find specific non-subjective reasons to sanction her.  Have her do things that you would expect anyone else to do in the ordinary course. When she does not do these things, you keep track and build a case of insubordination.  Then you go with that to the Dean or whomever.

Don't use the pro-choice thing.  For some reason she wants that to be the issue.  I predict that when she gets called out for her behavior, she'll cry discrimination because of her views on abortion.  Don't give this person any ammunition.

Untenured

[mouseman]

I more a more than a bit insulted by the post that accuses me of ulterior motives. The difficult colleague and scenario I have depicted is truthful and factual, as I see it. If you think I am wrong in my thinking or assumptions--please point this out--but don't accuse me of lying. We all know that a 2 day interview can sometimes fail to reveal much. Once folks take a job and move--they can behave in ways that would even puzzle themselves.

I am honestly seeking help to make a bad situation more bearable. 

First, your description was not factual, since facts were sorely missing.  All you gave were opinions.  Second, you have an ulterior motive - otherwise this would be on the venting thread.
Now back to your post.  What you have described is, in a nutshell, a caricature of a "radical feminist".  While such people may, in fact, exist, the likelihood of such a person wanting to be in, as you put it, a "a somewhat traditional Catholic institution" is low.  The probability of somebody acting that way, without it appearing anywhere in her publications, research statement, teaching state, application letters, or being mentioned by any of her references is even less likely.  Thus, by implying that you knew nothing about her agenda before the hire, you also have implied that she craftily hid her agenda, only to whip it out once she started to teach.  A typical radical feminist trick to insinuate their radical pro-choice agenda into the impressionable minds of young catholic girls.  Either that, or you had the most clueless Search Committee in the USA, not to mention a clueless Head of Department.
Now, as for the rest of the story, none of it seems to scan either.  If all that you said about her was true (she's lazy, won't pull her weight in the department, is confrontational, etc.), she would be gone in the blink of an eye.  So, either she's not new, i.e., she has tenure.  Or, you can't get rid of her because you are in no position to do so - she has powerful backers (unlikely for a pro-choice woman in a catholic school), or you are not what you say you are.
Your story has more holes than a wicker basket, and fewer facts than a Creationist account of the history of life. 

[daniel_von_flanagan]

Midtowner,

It seems that whenever someone's first post on these fora is some kind of 'textbook' extreme sticky situation, it turns out to be a troll (or a journalist for THES or elsewhere masquerading as a legitimate poster as they look for a story).  This happens often enough that the regulars have just taken the easy road of assuming the worst - they are usually right.

Apologies if this is not the case in your situation, but I hope it explains the suspicion. - DvF

[terpsichore]

Taking your post at face value: you have listed a lot of things that bother you about this colleague; some may be legitimate and some are not the job of the chair to address. You say that she favors one group of students over another (women over men), but what does this mean, specifically? Is she giving the women better grades for the same performance? Or is she perhaps giving women more opportunities as research assistants or in similar roles? If the latter, is it possible that she's identified a lack of opportunities for women students in your program and that she is trying to correct that? If that's the case, perhaps you should be encouraging her.

You also say that she "is involved in 'community' work she believes is worthy", implying that you do not think it is worthwhile. So what? Why does her community work concern you at all, and why does it bother you?

[jackit]

"Go to the Dean."?

"Beg her to change."?


<tectonic-plate-shift-magnitude eyeroll>