There is a growing debate over the firing of an NYU chemistry professor, who said the difficulty of his class ultimately led to his dismissal.
Dr. Maitland Jones Jr. was fired by the university earlier in 2022. Jones said he was let go after students complained to the school that his organic chemistry class was too hard.
More than 80 of his 350 students signed a petition claiming Jones was responsible for their failing grades. On Tuesday, NYU released a statement saying in part that there were multiple student complaints about his dismissiveness, unresponsiveness, condescension and lack of transparency about grading.
"In short he was hired to teach, and wasn't successful," a spokesperson said, adding that there were "troubling indicators" regarding his teaching, including a high rate of withdrawals.
The course evaluation scores for Jones, who the school said was hired for a year-long appointment to specifically teach organic chemistry, were "by far the worst not only among members of the Chemistry Department but among all the University's undergraduate science courses."
When Jones learned that he would not be returning, he stopped grading his current students' work entirely, according to the school.
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But supporters of the professor said his firing is unfair.
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The spokesperson said "NYU disagrees with and is disappointed by the way the matter with Professor Jones has been characterized." That comment may be in reference to an article in the New York Times in which colleagues and even other students defended Jones and his teaching methods, saying those who signed the petition were upset about their grades.
The petition did not call for Jones to be terminated, according to the Times.
NBC New York reached out to the professor for a response, but Maitland was not immediately available for comment.
