Brian Salvatore is a professor at the Louisiana State University at Shreveport who believes his outspoken commentary on environmental issues is at the root of the University's effort to strip him of his tenure and remove him from the faculty. However, the University disagrees and has cited repeated instances of Salvatore making inflammatory accusations against both the University and its employees. Their dispute underscores how ideological differences can play a role in University affairs.

Are you a tenured college professor who is facing dismissal or the loss of your tenured status? Do you believe the reasons given by the University are a cover story for the fact that you have ideological or political differences with the University's administration? Tenure takes years to earn, and it shouldn't be taken from you due to political differences. Call the Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team at 888-535-3686 or contact us online today!

A Passionate Environmentalist or a Bully Who Creates a Toxic Work Environment?

Brian Salvatore has never hidden his environmental advocacy. Throughout his career at Louisiana State University at Shreveport, part of Salvatore's confrontational approach has included speaking openly about local environmental hazards in the Shreveport area. Although his advocacy has won him public support from the American Association of University Professors and even highly respected members of the community (including a retired Army General), it may be out of step with the University's viewpoints.

Although Salvatore's advocacy is highly supported in some circles, the fact remains that the fossil fuel industry is a major employer and driver of Louisiana's economy. Many of the state's largest companies actively lobby local government and make large donations to Louisiana's public universities. Salvatore is convinced that some of these powerful players in the fossil fuel industry who support the University are put off by his unrepentant environmentalism and see him as a troublemaker.

Many Universities Have Politically Active Benefactors

More directly, he believes they are using their economic muscle behind the scenes to pressure the University into removing him. However, the administration at Louisiana State Shreveport contends that their efforts to remove Salvatore have less to do with his environmental views than his combative nature. Several of Salvatore's colleagues have complained to the University's human resources department that he creates a “toxic work environment” by bullying and making baseless accusations of impropriety against them.

After receiving what they believed to be an excessive number of faculty complaints, LSU Shreveport Chancellor Robert T. Smith sent Salvatore a letter informing him that he was being put on forced leave, banned from the campus, and losing his university email privileges. In that letter, the existence of which Chancellor Smith has neither confirmed nor denied, the Chancellor spelled out some of the more specific allegations against Salvatore as the motivation behind the disciplinary sanctions.

Smith's letter states, “Over the last several years, you have made repeated false public statements about LSUS and LSUS employees, including statements alleging illegal activity. In addition, you have engaged in a persistent pattern of vindictive, bullying, and harassing conduct against other members of the university community, creating a toxic and hostile work environment.”

Faculty Committee to Decide Professor's Fate

A committee composed of LSU Shreveport faculty has convened to decide whether the discipline will be permanent. They will review the case and forward their findings to Chancellor Smith, who will make the final recommendation on Salvatore's status to the LSU Shreveport President William F. Tate IV. Meanwhile, Salvatore has proclaimed his innocence and continues to claim his dismissal is a ruse to restrict his free speech rights.

The University denies those claims and maintains its public stance that Salvatore's pending discipline is due to his having created a toxic work environment. In the meantime, LSU Shreveport faculty and Salvatore anxiously await President Tate IV's final decision. The outcome of Salvatore's case could have far-reaching effects on the rights of tenured professors not just at LSU Shreveport, but all over the country.

You Have the Right to Fight Back Against Unfair University Discipline

It takes professors a lifetime of work to earn tenured status. Unfortunately, today's hyper-polarized political atmosphere can mean some of your viewpoints may clash with the powers that be in university administration. You have the power to fight back if you believe you're facing unfair discipline or a faculty committee that is threatening to wrongfully strip your tenure. Call the Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686 or contact us online today!