The Ohio State Newark Campus rehired professor Angela Bryant, following her resignation in November 2020. Credit: Courtesy of Angela Bryant
Ohio State rehired Angela Bryant, the Ohio State professor who resigned in the midst of a manic episode, for the start of the fall semester.
Bryant will return to her position as an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the Newark campus 21 months after she resigned from her tenured position through a profane email November 2020 to the then department chair, according to an email obtained by The Lantern. The resignation was accepted, but Bryant’s request for her job back was denied.
The Lantern reached out to Bryant for comment on her rehiring but was referred to university spokesperson Ben Johnson.
Johnson said in an email the university spoke with Bryant and decided to reinstate her.
“The university and Dr. Bryant held productive discussions to understand each other’s perspectives, and following those discussions concluded that re-employment was a satisfactory outcome for all,” Johnson said. “The university looks forward to welcoming Dr. Bryant to Ohio State Newark this fall.”
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes “unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, energy, activity levels and the ability to perform daily tasks.” People with bipolar disorder can experience mania, in which they partake in uncharacteristic behaviors.
During a manic episode, an individual may experience psychosis, in which they have hallucinations and delusions, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Bryant filed a lawsuit against Ohio State for not reinstating her employment April 15, claiming the action violated the Americans with Disabilites Act — which prohibits discrimination on the basis of a disability. The suit sought damages against Johnson, Gilliam, Dean of the Newark campus of Ohio State William MacDonald and Chair of the Department of Sociology Kristi Williams.
Bryant’s battle to be rehired started Jan. 22, 2021, when she filed a complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, according to records obtained by The Lantern. On Dec. 16, 2021, the commission dismissed her complaint in a report, saying Bryant couldn’t establish that the university discriminated against her on the basis of disability.
According to the report, the university did not know Bryant was “incapacitated from taking actions on her own.” However, Bryant began to experience mental health issues in December of 2019, according to a complaint she submitted Jan. 20, 2021 to the Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility.
The Faculty Hearing Committee — a group that considers faculty appeals — issued a Feb. 24 letter to University President Kristina M. Johnson and Executive Vice President and Provost Melissa L. Gilliam, requesting that Bryant be reinstated based on the lack of inquiry done by Bryant’s department chairs on her mental health after being notified Dec. 18, 2021 by her nurse practitioner.
In a previous Lantern article, Bryant said she did not obtain another job during the fight to regain her position at the university because she wanted people to understand how much she loved her job and missed her students.
