The editor of the American Journal of Political Science, William G. Jacoby, who has been accused of sexual harassment, posted his denial of those allegations on the journal’s website. His use of the journal to try to discredit the allegations against him outraged many political scientists, who were already frustrated by the handling of the case by the Midwest Political Science Association, which oversees the journal.
William Jacoby confirmed his plan to step down as editor of the journal in December but declined to comment further.
By Tuesday, Jacoby’s statement had been taken down and replaced with a brief note saying that he was sorry to those who were offended and that he was “merely trying to explain” his planned course of action. Already, at least three political-science professors have said they will withdraw their membership from the association, including Jennifer Lawless of American University, Kathleen A. Dolan of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, and Melissa Michelson of Menlo College.
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The editor of the American Journal of Political Science, William G. Jacoby, who has been accused of sexual harassment, posted his denial of those allegations on the journal’s website. His use of the journal to try to discredit the allegations against him outraged many political scientists, who were already frustrated by the handling of the case by the Midwest Political Science Association, which oversees the journal.
William Jacoby confirmed his plan to step down as editor of the journal in December but declined to comment further.
By Tuesday, Jacoby’s statement had been taken down and replaced with a brief note saying that he was sorry to those who were offended and that he was “merely trying to explain” his planned course of action. Already, at least three political-science professors have said they will withdraw their membership from the association, including Jennifer Lawless of American University, Kathleen A. Dolan of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, and Melissa Michelson of Menlo College.
“Bill Jacoby is using the journal as his personal platform to try to vindicate himself,” said Nadia E. Brown, a political-science professor at Purdue University. She is president of the Women’s Caucus for Political Science. “The accusers don’t have that platform.”
This calls into question Jacoby’s ability to impartially judge submissions to the journal, Brown said. She added that the Women’s Caucus as a group had called on the Midwest Political Science Association to remove or suspend Jacoby.
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“The silence enabled Jacoby to put the statement up,” Brown said.
In the original statement, which some scholars captured in screen shots and shared on Twitter, Jacoby said he was stepping down to avoid “bringing serious damage” to the journal. He said that there is an investigation at the University of Michigan and that an outside firm is investigating on behalf of Michigan State. But he said that an investigation by the Midwest Political Science Association had concluded and that no report would be issued. On Wednesday he confirmed he would be stepping down as editor in December and declined to comment further.
The statement shocked Rebecca Gill, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. In January, while speaking on a panel about mentorship, Gill had told her story about being propositioned by a senior professor in her field while she was a graduate student. She later tweeted the story and, though she didn’t name Jacoby, she included identifying details so that he wouldn’t be confused with other professors she’d worked with while studying at Michigan State.
“I wanted to talk about how it’s really difficult for mentors to see these events happen and understand the full range of the implications,” Gill said. Even a small incident of sexual harassment can have a major impact on someone’s career, she said.
After sharing her story, Gill was contacted by a Michigan State official who wanted to speak with her about what happened and what she could do in response. She spoke to an investigator, who referred the incident to the University of Michigan because she has alleged that it took place on that campus and Jacoby was not yet employed at Michigan State at the time.
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Gill says the incident took place in 2002 while she was a student and he was an instructor at the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research Summer Program, which is held at the University of Michigan. An investigator at that university contacted Gill, who told her story once again.
According to a written description of the conversation that the investigator sent to Gill for her comments or suggestions, Gill said that she and Jacoby were at a social gathering where they discussed the possibility of Jacoby serving on her dissertation committee. Jacoby then told Gill that he found her mysterious and asked if she would consider having an affair with him, according to the summary of the conversation.
Gill said she was shocked and embarrassed. She said it hurt her confidence and affected her progress through the program. She said that while she thinks it’s important to participate in the investigation, the experience has been difficult.
Valerie Sulfaro, a political-science professor at James Madison University, watched the reaction to Gill’s story play out online. She worried that Gill wasn’t being believed and decided to speak up. Sulfaro said that she also had a story to tell about her interactions with Jacoby and thought that if she shared them with investigators, Gill was more likely to be taken seriously.
In a letter to Michigan State administrators and in a written statement shared with investigators at Michigan State and the University of Michigan, Sulfaro described being in a relationship with Jacoby when she was a graduate student and he was a professor at the University of South Carolina in the early 1990s. Though she said she didn’t say no to the relationship, she worried that rejecting him would damage her career. After the relationship had ended, Sulfaro said in her statement that he kissed her and propositioned her.
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In a message posted Wednesday on the website of the Midwest Political Science Association, its president, Elisabeth Gerber, said the group was taking the allegations seriously. She said the association’s leaders were working to “put in place an interim editor solution” and launch a search for a new permanent editor. That plan was put in place during the association’s most recent meeting, but given “the growing firestorm” the group’s officers will hold an emergency meeting this week to decide what to do next. Jacoby has suspended editorial operations in the meantime.
Gerber also wrote that the notice posted by Jacoby was not authorized by the association and does not represent the position of the association’s members.
“We regret any offense that Professor Jacoby’s action in posting this notice may have caused,” she wrote.
The Midwest Political Science Association said in a letter to its members on April 13 that it had hired a lawyer to conduct an investigation. The lawyer shared information with the association’s council, but the council was not able to come to a decision about what to do. After the meeting, Jacoby offered to resign as editor at the end of the calendar year.
Officials at the University of Michigan and Michigan State did not respond to requests for comment.
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Nell Gluckman writes about faculty issues and other topics in higher education. You can follow her on Twitter @nellgluckman, or email her at nell.gluckman@chronicle.com.
Nell Gluckman is a senior reporter who writes about research, ethics, funding issues, affirmative action, and other higher-education topics. You can follow her on Twitter @nellgluckman, or email her at nell.gluckman@chronicle.com.
