Sex Harassment by Ex-Provost at Michigan

The University of Michigan has released a report on sexual harassment by Martin Philbert, the former provost. While he did not participate in the review by a law firm, it found that:

• Philbert’s sexual harassment started while he was an assistant professor and continued through his time as provost, a span of two decades.
• While dean of the School of Public Heath, Philbert was in sexual relationships with at least three staff members, including having sexual relations in university offices and sharing explicit photos that Philbert stored on his university-owned devices.
• For nearly his entire tenure as provost, Philbert was in simultaneous sexual relationships with at least two university employees. He engaged in sexual contact with them in university offices, including with one woman on a near daily basis for a time.
• University officials were alerted to his behavior early in his career, but official investigations by the Office for Institutional Equity were not launched.
• At no point during the provost search process did the search committee as a whole, or Mark Schlissel, the president, individually, learn any information about Philbert’s problematic conduct toward women.

The university relieved Philbert of duties in January after receiving reports of his harassment.