Fired prof sues Wisconsin school

A college mathematics professor who says he was fired for refusing to inflate grades is suing for breach of contract and wrongful termination.

Marvin C. Papenfuss, 59, was a full professor at Wisconsin Lutheran College, where he had taught for nine years.  He says that in 2001, his department chair imposed a new grading system under which it was virtually impossible for students to fail calculus.  His own grades for students, he said, were two-thirds “C or better.”  Nevertheless, his supervisor reportedly described him to students as an “ogre.”

The college is not commenting on grounds for his termination.  The Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, school has about 700 students and 46 full-time faculty.