Worst Professors and Why They Deserve the Label

Unforgettable professors are not always the ones who inspire us the most. Some professors stand out for all the wrong reasons, making it difficult for students to learn and grow. Here are two tales from Dr. Joseph Suglia that highlight the infamy of such professors.

The Snitty Professor Unrat

Meet Professor Unrat, a professor who is both a snitty and a sinister being. He scowls, enjoys self-loathing, and engages in serial plagiarism, making him a micro-tyrannical and micro-penisoidal figure. Rather than aiding students, he delights in the idea of destroying their livelihoods. One of his sinister schemes includes writing negative letters of recommendation, all the while styling himself as a modern Bartleby or Hlderlin. In reality, he is merely the dollar-store version of these literary figures and more akin to a Walmart version of a retail boss. Hence, this is an example of antonomasia.

Though he holds a Professorship in German, his language skills are severely lacking. He can barely speak German and has rudimentary knowledge of English. He fails to teach, instead defaming students. The evidence supporting this assertion is substantial and growing.

The Professor’s Harsh Methods

The professor in a community college music performance class was initially a good professor, facilitating a master class environment for students to perform, receive feedback, and discuss performance. However, when the teaching was taken over by a new professor, the class transformed into a monologue about his own performances and feelings. No longer was there any performance experience or feedback for the students, rendering the class ineffective.

Then, there was the professor who authored the main university textbook in his subject. Despite this, he was unable to effectively teach. He had two classes, one in the second year and another in the third year, both of which were compulsory for students in that major. The second-year class was a prerequisite for entry into the third year and an Engineering degree. With an enrollment of over 300 students, the exam was multiple choice with one mark for a correct answer and a penalty of four marks for an incorrect answer. Failing that, any student who talked during lectures was met with him walking out.

He also walked out of a third of his lectures, leaving the students in the dark regarding the content covered. The exam included 25 questions, with two having no correct options. One question referred to a theory proposed by a person who later changed their name, while only the old name was included in the known answer options. This created a convoluted situation where students struggled to answer.

From this exam, only two second-year students managed to pass, and similarly, no students passed the third year. Consequently, nearly all second-year students had to repeat the year, while all third-year students had to do the same. After students complained about the professor's incompetence, their complaints fell on deaf ears. It was the very professor who chaired the quality assurance committee. In the subsequent years, the number of honours, masters, and doctorates in his field plummeted. His department, which usually had around 30 postgraduates, saw a dramatic drop to less than 10 within three years. Many students opted to study in overseas or interstate universities instead.

Conclusion

These tales highlight the impact of an incompetent and unethical professor. The effects can be far-reaching, affecting students' academic and professional lives for years to come. It is crucial for universities to maintain rigorous standards for faculty and address issues of incompetence and unethical behavior promptly.