University Reinstates Professor Who Resigned During Manic Episode

Ohio State initially refuses to reinstate tenured professor

Summary report by Alex Rowan

– Dr. Angela Bryant regained her position at Ohio State University’s Newark campus after resigning during a psychotic, manic episode triggered by bipolar I disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In November 2020, Bryant, a tenured associate professor of sociology, abruptly sent a profanity‑laced resignation.

Her email read, “I resign! Go f** yourselves bc you are about to PAY UP!”* court records show. The message came during a manic episode marked by psychosis.

Two days later, she was involuntarily hospitalized after being declared incapable of caring for herself.

When she regained clarity nearly two weeks later, Bryant retracted her resignation. But Ohio State’s leadership refused, telling her that once accepted, a resignation is final.

They also said she failed to submit required medical or FMLA documentation in time and declined disability accommodations after the deadline.

Bryant then filed a discrimination complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. She said her resignation occurred during a legally incapacitating manic episode and should not count.

The commission ruled in December 2021 that while Bryant was a qualified disabled employee, she did not submit formal documentation. The university was thus not “officially” aware of her disability, and no discrimination was found.

At the same time, faculty members, including the University Senate’s Faculty Hearing Committee and the Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility, urged her reinstatement.

They cited a lapse in compassion and expressed concern that administrators never asked simply, “Are you okay?

In August 2022, almost 21 months after her resignation, the university rehired Bryant.

Bryant’s case shines a light on how treatable mental health crises can profoundly affect careers — and how institutions might better balance policy with empathy.

Her return marks not just a personal victory, but a signal that with understanding and flexibility, even the deepest wounds of mental illness can begin to mend.

Sources:
Ohio Capital Journal
News5 Cleveland
The Lantern
The Chronicle of Higher Education