UW took unusual steps after a professor resigned amid sex harassment probe

At first glance, it looked like Richard Brunson had outrun his past.

The former professor resigned from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Marshfield in 2022 after an investigation found he had sexually harassed students. He landed a new teaching job at a school district less than an hour away and had moved on.

His former employer, however, had not. Five months after Brunson quit, the UW Board of Regents took action against him and a UW System attorney called the district superintendent to share what had happened. Brunson was suspended, then later resigned.

The unusual steps taken in this case show how the UW System is taking a more aggressive stance against sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era. Consider an older UW-Stevens Point case, where an assistant dean who sexually harassed a woman on campus in 2015 went on to hold identical jobs at other universities, including at UW-Eau Claire, after reference checks failed to turn up his history.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Stevens Point Journal reported on the case in 2018, prompting a new policy to tighten hiring and reference check processes.

Brunson's attorney, Michael Brown of DVG Law Partner, argued the UW System overstepped its authority in this case.

"My client, Richard Brunson, admitted to wrongs and apologized, as is documented in the legal record," Brown told the Journal Sentinel. "He made the mistake of defending himself against procedural oversteps and excessive punishments that violated the law. When will his punishments end?"

Volunteering information about a former employee's history to a new employer is unusual, said Brett Soklow, founder and board chair of TNG, a risk-management firm that advises colleges on sexual harassment and other matters. It's something he said more schools should consider doing if permitted by state law.

"Most schools haven't enacted reforms," he said. "The threat of litigation is part of it. The fact is most schools would resolve the complaint like this and be happy with the resignation."

That's how the school district handled it, striking a settlement agreement where Brunson resigned and the district agreed to provide a neutral reference letter.

A private college in Indiana hired Brunson next. He started teaching there last fall.

A pattern of behavior at UW-Marshfield

Brunson joined UW-Marshfield — a campus later put under UW-Stevens Point's oversight — as a music professor in 2011.

A decade later, a student reported Brunson wrapping him in a bear hug and kissing him on the lips, according to investigative records obtained by the Journal Sentinel.

Five other male students reported uncomfortable interactions with Brunson, both in person and online. Some met Brunson when they were teenagers through community bands. One student said Brunson emailed personal questions, such as "Don't you love me?" and "What does your girlfriend do that I can't? Pucker up." Two of them described Brunson as handsy. Records show all six students described receiving sexually suggestive messages from Brunson, often about masturbation.

Brunson told investigators his hug and kiss were intended as a prank. Within hours, he texted the student to apologize for his poor judgment. He initially denied messaging students about masturbation, claiming his Facebook account had been hacked, but later admitted to sending the messages. He said he was "deeply sorry" he made students feel uncomfortable.

Investigators also found Brunson had been disciplined for similar behavior in 2018 and assigned to a sexual harassment prevention training, according to UW records.

Throughout the disciplinary process, the campus repeatedly caused delays and violated numerous laws and deadlines, Brunson alleged in a complaint later dismissed by a judge.

In May 2022, a faculty committee recommended Brunson be fired. UW-Stevens Point Chancellor Tom Gibson sent the report to the UW System on June 6.

Three days later, Brunson resigned.

Former UW-Stevens Point professor lands new job at Medford School District

In the same month the faculty committee concluded Brunson should be let go, Medford Area School District hired him to teach choir about 40 miles north of the UW-Marshfield campus.

A few months into the new job, Medford Superintendent Pat Sullivan received a call from the UW System.

UW System spokesperson Mark Pitsch said based on the specific facts of the case, an attorney advised the Medford district of Brunson’s resignation and recommended submitting a public records request for more information.

Brown, Brunson's attorney, objected to UW's outreach, which came a day after the UW Board of Regents took action against him in November 2022. Though the board couldn't fire Brunson because he had already left, it voted there was just cause to dismiss him had he not resigned. The board revoked Brunson's unused sick leave, which totaled about $20,000.

In a letter to Sullivan, Brown argued UW overstepped its own policy, which requires disclosing information about employees' disciplinary history when contacted for reference checks. In this case, he said, the district had not initiated a check but UW System general counsel Quinn Williams instead volunteered it.

Brown also said the Regents had issued an "ultimatum," telling Brunson a few weeks after his resignation that if he forfeited his sick leave, the board would have no sanction to impose against him. Brunson declined the offer.

"Wisconsin may have just said 'You know what, we're going to do the right thing here, at least what we think is the right thing, and if there are consequences, there are consequences,'" said Soklow, the risk management expert. He generally supports more schools sharing information with each other.

"I think it's often ethical to do so," he said. "Or put another way, it's unethical not to do so."

Medford parts ways with Richard Brunson

The Medford School District placed Brunson on paid administrative leave a few days after UW System called.

Brunson was on paid leave for the next seven months until he resigned at the end of the 2022-23 school year, according to his settlement agreement. During this time, he performed no work for the district. Medford agreed to provide a netural letter of reference for Brunson.

Sullivan wouldn't discuss Medford's hiring process or say whether the district changed any of its hiring policies.

"Student safety is our primary focus, which includes our important responsibilities as mandatory reporters of child abuse," he said. "We have policies and practices in place designed to support that focus. We are always reviewing our policies and practices looking for ways to improve."

The UW System said the district did not contact UW-Stevens Point for a reference check. Had it done so, the university would have disclosed Brunson was in the process of being investigated for violating sexual harassment policies.

The UW System has "a well-documented, nationally recognized, and robust personnel file and reference check process," Pitsch said. "But it does not work unless the potential employers seek references."

Brunson's teaching career continues out of state

The state Department of Public Instruction last school year investigated whether to revoke Brunson's teacher license, records show. Brunson agreed to voluntarily surrender his teacher license last August and never again apply for a Wisconsin teacher's license.

Goshen College, a private Mennonite liberal arts school in Indiana, two hours east of Chicago, hired Brunson as an associate music professor for this school year.

College spokesperson Jodi Beyeler didn't answer questions about the hiring process in Brunson's case. She confirmed Brunson is still employed there and said the school "take(s) all reports of sexual abuse, harassment and misconduct very seriously."

The UW System said Goshen College requested records related to Brunson’s resignation from UW-Stevens Point after the college hired him. However, UW officials couldn't release records at the time because Brunson had sued to prevent their release. A judge last August ordered the documents be turned over.

Brunson told the college's student newspaper he saw appeal in teaching at a religious school.

"[The] opportunity presented itself to come here, and it seemed like a much better fit," he said.

Editor's note: Goshen College put Brunson on leave a day after this story published and has launched an inquiry. Goshen spokeswoman Jodi Beyeler said the college had not submitted a formal records request to the UW System and did not know the reasons behind Brunson's resignations until the story published.

Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com or 414-223-5168. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @KellyMeyerhofer

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW-Marshfield professor Richard Brunson quit amid sexual harassment probe