Richmond v. Fowles, 99-4162

• Decision Date: 15 June 2000
• Docket Number: No. 99-4162,99-4162
• Citation: 228 F.3d 854
• Parties: (8th Cir. 2000) JOHN RICHMOND, APPELLANT, v. KARROL FOWLKES, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS ASSOCIATE DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES PHARMACY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES; JONATHAN J. WOLFE, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE SCHOLASTIC STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDIAL SCIENCES; LARRY D. MILNE, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES; UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS BOARD OF TRUSTEES, APPELLEES. Submitted:
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Eighth Circuit

Page 854

228 F.3d 854 (8th Cir. 2000)

JOHN RICHMOND, APPELLANT, v. KARROL FOWLKES, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS ASSOCIATE DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES PHARMACY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES; JONATHAN J. WOLFE, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE SCHOLASTIC STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDIAL SCIENCES; LARRY D. MILNE, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS FOR MEDICAL SCIENCES; UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS BOARD OF TRUSTEES, APPELLEES.

No. 99-4162

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

Submitted: June 15, 2000

Filed: October 2, 2000

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Before Wollman, Chief Judge, Beam, and Bye, Circuit Judges.

Wollman, Chief Judge.

John Richmond appeals from the district court's ¹ grant of summary judgment to the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas and various named administrators at the College of Pharmacy of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (the College) in the action he brought against them after his dismissal from the pharmacy program. We affirm.

I.

We recite the facts in the light most favorable to Richmond. Richmond enrolled in the College of Pharmacy in the fall of 1993 and successfully completed five semesters of the eight-semester program. In evaluating academic progression, the College utilizes "non-cognitive evaluations," reports submitted by a professor about a student's performance in a course in areas such as preparedness, maturity in interpersonal relations, timeliness, and various other attributes of professionalism considered "non-cognitive" but relevant to the academic development of future pharmacists. A professor makes an evaluation of each student's non-cognitive performance, but a report is filed only for those students who perform exceptionally and for those who perform inadequately. A student may be dismissed by the College's Scholastic Standing Committee (Scholastic Committee) for receiving two negative non-cognitive evaluations. During the spring semester of Richmond's third year, two of his professors submitted negative non-cognitive evaluations for his behavior, which included the failure of basic examinations, sleeping in and lack of preparation for class, and inappropriate commentary during class.

Dr. Karrol Fowlkes, Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs, notified Richmond of the negative non-cognitive evaluations and asked him to submit a written explanation for the behavior. Richmond responded in a letter that told the faculty and Scholastic Committee "what they wanted to hear," assuring them that such behavior would not be repeated. The Scholastic Committee met shortly thereafter and ultimately voted to place Richmond on academic probation until he received his degree. The Scholastic Committee sent Richmond a letter informing him that another negative non-cognitive evaluation would result in his dismissal from the College.

In June of 1996, university police officers reported to Dr. Fowlkes that Richmond had been drinking, playing loud music, and yelling in the hallway of his residence hall. Dr. Fowlkes referred Richmond to a committee that deals with addiction problems, not the Scholastic Committee. Subsequently, in the fall of 1996, Richmond successfully completed the four clinical rotation courses of his seventh semester in the program.

In January of 1997, Richmond began a fifth rotation at a facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, under the supervision of Dr. Sherry May-Myatt. During this rotation, Richmond fell behind on patient presentations and several times arrived late or not at all. Mid-rotation, on January 17, 1997, Dr. May-Myatt informed Richmond that he was failing and that she would ask for him to be dismissed from her rotation if he again arrived late or failed to show up without notifying her in advance. A week passed without incident, but problems soon recurred. Dr. May-Myatt spoke with the Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, who in turn contacted Dr. Fowlkes for an outline of the available options for dealing with Richmond's unprofessional conduct and then relayed the information to Dr. May-Myatt. On January 29, 1997, Dr. May-Myatt submitted a negative non-cognitive evaluation on Richmond and notified him that she had done so. Her evaluation noted behavior such as Richmond's unexplained absenteeism, his failure to look up the appropriate medication dosage for a 21-month-old patient, and his belligerent and argumentative response to Dr. May-Myatt on January 24, 1997.

On February 3, 1997, Dr. Fowlkes officially notified Richmond of Dr. May- Myatt's negative non-cognitive evaluation and suspended him from rotations pending Committee action. The Scholastic Committee Chairman, Dr. Jonathan Wolfe, wrote a letter to Richmond on February 10, 1997, informing him that a meeting would be held on February 14, 1997. The letter informed Richmond of the date, time, and place of the meeting, that the negative evaluation would be considered, and that Richmond could appear in person to make an oral statement and answer questions, could present a written statement from himself or others on his behalf, and could present approved witnesses. Dr. Wolfe also informed Richmond of the process in person.

At the February 14 hearing, Richmond appeared, spoke to the Scholastic Committee, answered questions, and presented personal references in written form. The Committee notified Richmond of its timetables for future action and of his opportunity to protest any final decision. Richmond departed, and the Scholastic Committee deliberated. Dr. Fowlkes attended Scholastic Committee meetings as an ex-officio member but did not vote or participate in the deliberative process, acting solely as a source of historical information. The Scholastic Committee ultimately agreed to recommend Richmond's suspension, coupled with a plan for removal of the suspension and Richmond's eventual graduation. The Scholastic Committee sent Richmond a letter encouraging him to submit an appropriate plan with a list of elements that Richmond was "strongly encouraged" to include. Richmond submitted such a plan to the Committee on May 13, 1997. The Scholastic Committee revised the plan and sent it to Richmond with a notice that he should sign and return the plan by May 23, 1997, in order to remain in the College. Richmond failed to do so. Shortly after the May 23 deadline, Dean Larry D. Milne accepted the Scholastic Committee's recommendation and officially dismissed Richmond from the College. Richmond then brought this suit, contending that he was denied his constitutional rights to due process and equal protection and that the individual administrators and faculty had conspired to deny him these rights. It is from the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of the College that Richmond now appeals.

II.

We review the district court's grant of summary judgment de novo. See Taylor v. Nimock's Oil Co., 214 F.3d 957, 959 (8th Cir. 2000). Summary judgment is proper if the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, demonstrates that no genuine issue of material fact exists and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See id.; Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c).

A. Procedural Due Process

Richmond argues that he was denied due process of law because the Scholastic Committee did not constitute a fair tribunal. He contends that the process was unfair first because Dr. Fowlkes was biased and overly involved in the decision to dismiss him, and, second, because he should have been allowed to attend and be heard at the final deliberative meetings of the Scholastic Committee. He contends that his dismissal deprived him of his liberty interest in pursuing a career in pharmacy. Assuming, without deciding, the existence of a property or liberty interest, we conclude that Richmond received all the process that he was due.

To satisfy the Fourteenth Amendment, a student who is dismissed for academic reasons from a public university must be afforded notice of faculty dissatisfaction and potential dismissal, and the dismissal decision must be careful and deliberate. See Board of Curators of the Univ. of Missouri v. Horowitz, 435 U.S. 78, 85 (1978). A formal hearing is not required for an academic dismissal. See Horowitz, 435 U.S. at 86 & n.3; Disesa v. St. Louis Community College, 79 F.3d 92, 95 (8th Cir. 1996); Ikpeazu v. University of Nebraska, 775 F.2d 250, 254 (8th Cir. 1985) (per curiam).

Richmond received notice on February 10, 1997, of the February 14 Scholastic Committee meeting to be held to discuss his situation and potential dismissal. From previous interaction with Dr. Fowlkes and the Scholastic Committee, Richmond was aware that the faculty was dissatisfied and that dismissal was possible, even likely. Dr. May-Myatt warned Richmond that she was dissatisfied and that she was submitting what would be his third negative non-cognitive evaluation. Thus, Richmond had sufficient notice of the faculty's dissatisfaction with his performance and of the possibility that he might be dismissed. He was given an opportunity to respond in his own defense and to submit a proposed remedial plan to the Scholastic Committee, and he could have appealed any adverse decision through the grievance process after the final decision.

The facts, even in the light most favorable to Richmond, also indicate that the...