Toxic Academia Is Pushing Faculty Out
I’ll start with I love the concept of Academia, because I can envision what it can be! But, I don’t understand the complacency, and yes it is complacency, of so many academic leaders and society in general in how highly educated and experienced faculty are often treated, not supported, and continue to be under-paid. Some recent talks with colleagues is the impetus of this blog!
It’s been a year since I gave my talk on Toxic Academia at the OADN conference. I remember the conversations that followed, the quiet nods, the shared glances that said, I’ve lived that too. Back then, after years in academia and experiencing some of the actions first hand, I thought maybe the worst of it was the exhaustion and disillusionment that had crept in after years of overwork, under-paid, under-appreciation, and performative leadership. But lately, with the actions of the current administration magnifying what academic institutions were already doing quietly, it’s become clear that what we’re seeing now isn’t just burnout, it’s a deliberate exodus.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve spoken with colleagues who’ve had contracts suddenly terminated, others who were “non-renewed” without explanation, and a few who were strategically isolated until they chose to walk away. It’s happening quietly, methodically. Not through scandal or overt misconduct, but through the slow suffocation of faculty autonomy. Institutions are perfecting the art of plausible deniability, decisions framed as “budgetary,” “restructuring,” or “realignment with strategic goals.” Words that look sterile on paper but leave real lives fractured.
I’ve heard stories of faculty being written out of programs they built, mentors stripped of leadership titles they earned, and respected educators recast as “not a good fit” after years of loyalty, and when asked the answer is vague and unclear, shifting attention away from the institution. The cruelty isn’t loud, it’s procedural, reeking of the sweat of closed office meetings between program leaders, institutional HRs, and lawyers.
The irony is that these same institutions tout values of inclusion, equity, and belonging, yet practice exclusion when it becomes inconvenient. They host workshops on resilience while manufacturing environments that test human limits. They call for innovation while silencing those who question outdated hierarchies and create meaningful change and impact.
What’s most heartbreaking is the loss of trust. Academia once carried a promise, a space where inquiry and integrity mattered, where intellectual freedom was protected, where dedication was enough, the hours away from family still meant you were creating a better world. Now, many faculty walk on eggshells, calculating every word, every post, every alliance. Fear replaces curiosity, compliance replaces creativity, and heads looking down with silence becoming the norm for survival.
When I look around, I don’t see a profession that’s evolving, I see one cannibalizing its own talent. And the casualties aren’t just careers; they’re communities of learning, mentorship, and hope.
Although, I have seen a few leaders starting to address academic toxicity and try and create a more inclusive and supportive environment, I don’t know if academia will ever return to what it could have been. We’re simply not investing in academia or it’s faculty enough! But I do know that the people leaving aren’t weak. They’re just tired of being disposable in a system that thrives on the illusion of prestige while quietly dismantling the very foundation of education, its people.
And perhaps the most toxic part of academia isn’t what it demands of us, but what it makes us believe we must endure to belong.
