Professor George Stylianides is suing the University of Scranton for firing him allegedly because of his Greek heritage. Stylianides is taking the university to court and is calling for back pay and damages for racial discrimination, reports the Scranton Times-Tribune. A federal lawsuit says he was hired in 2008, but fired nearly four years later. He told the Scranton Times-Tribune that he was fired after he was denied tenure. He alleges he was terminated because officials held a bias against him based on his ethnicity and that a co-worker told him to “go back to Greece” whereas another refered to him as “the short Greek guy” when introducing him to students.

The professor alleges that 10 associate professors applied for tenure between 2009-2012 but he was the only one denied. The university’s policy would have allowed him to stay on despite being denied tenure but he had not been given that option.

Noteworthy is the fact that he scores one of the highest professor rankings in student assessments (surpassing those that had been given tenures), receiving 4.9 out of 5. Students describe him as life-changing, inspirational but also strict and demanding.

Characteristic reviews of this professor denied access to a tenure: