Donald Easton-Brooks, Dean of the College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), was placed on administrative leave Monday, April 13, according to an email sent to COEHD faculty. The email states that Dr. Jannet Vreeland will fill the role temporarily.
This decision follows a COEHD faculty vote of no-confidence in Dean Easton-Brooks over spring break on Saturday, March 21. 85.5% of the participating faculty members expressed no confidence in the dean following accusations of unprofessional behavior and a hostile work environment.
Issues first arose due to allegations of bullying, favoritism in hiring and intimidation in the work environment led by Easton-Brooks. Other anonymous allegations have cited high turnover of employees within the college and inappropriate behavior towards women. An image sent to local media outlet Our Town Reno shows an email from UNR’s Employee Relations Specialist, which suggests that a previous investigation into Easton-Brooks’ behavior was carried out in 2024.
The faculty vote was conducted anonymously online. 90 members of the eligible faculty from the COEHD participated. Of this, 77 selected they did not have confidence in the dean, eight selected they do have confidence and five abstained from voting.
A vote of confidence is a procedure often conducted within an organization to demonstrate whether its members approve of their leadership. In government and business settings, a no-confidence result often leads to the resignation or removal of the leader.
However, the vote is not a standard procedure within the university. The results of the vote didn’t require any immediate action from the University administration, but may have influenced the decision to place Easton-Brooks on administrative leave.
A lack of oversight from the University also contributed to the decision to hold a vote. As stated in NSHE Code, “written performance evaluations of academic faculty and administrative faculty shall be conducted at least once annually.” According to the COEHD’s bylaws, the dean is supposed to be evaluated by the Provost, with faculty input upon request.
However, some University faculty members have told the Sagebrush that evaluations for deans have not been routinely carried out for the past several years, with Easton-Brooks never having received an evaluation even at the five-year mark. This was a point of contention among faculty, especially when sharing concerns about Easton-Brooks’ leadership.
Dean Easton-Brooks has led the College of Education and Human Development for seven years since June 2019. He has a history of university leadership, previously serving as a dean at the University of South Dakota and Eastern Oregon University.
In response to questions about the dean being placed on leave, the University cited Dr. Vreeland’s qualifications to serve as interim dean and wrote, “We understand there may be interest in additional details, but we cannot share more as this is a confidential personnel matter.”