Widener apologizes for ‘unprofessional’ remarks by nursing professors in video

In the video, two members of the nursing faculty at Widener University are discussing their students’ academic progress in blunt terms.

“They’re going to bomb this next test,” one said to the other, who responds, “I think so, too.”

“I don’t care though. Let ‘em fail.” the first one said.

The conversation was meant to be private, according to the university, but the professors mistakenly shared it with their nursing class, causing conversation on social media accounts and outrage among some students, parents and alumni in the Widener community.

Officials with the university, located in Chester, called the comments by assistant professor Mary C. Francis and lecturer Mary Marquis “unprofessional” and said they would be replaced by other instructors for that course and another undergraduate course that one of them co-leads for the rest of the semester. University spokesperson Mary Allen declined to comment when asked whether they remain employed by Widener.

Neither Francis nor Marquis, who apologized to students, returned emails seeking comment. Reached by phone, Marquis said she couldn’t say anything and hung up.

“We want to offer our most sincere apologies for what was said in the personal conversation between the two of us at the conclusion of class,” Francis wrote to the class, according to a copy of the email obtained by The Inquirer. “Like all of you, we have experienced frustration with the challenges of remote learning, including the difficulties of teaching and assessing students from our individual spaces at home.”

Francis acknowledged in the email that what the professors said was “inappropriate and unprofessional.”

Anne M. Krouse, dean of the School of Nursing, and provost Andrew A. Workman plan to meet with students to hear their concerns and “ensure they have the support they need to succeed,” Allen said in a statement.

It’s unclear how the video began to be circulated on social media. The 86-second clip appears to be only a portion of the conversation. A version posted on YouTube last week later was marked private, but a copy of it was obtained by The Inquirer.

“They do not know anatomy at all,” Francis says on the video, expressing concern that students would “move on” and not “represent the school well.” Marquis said she got so mad at students last year before the pandemic hit that she decided to make her “heart failure” questions harder.

A Chester County parent of a nursing student, who asked not to be identified to protect the identity of his child, said he was disappointed in the comments and thought the professors should be fired.

“Their intent was for the students to fail, not succeed,” he said. “As an educator, your goal is to make all students succeed in life. If they don’t know the anatomy, that’s a reflection upon you, not the student.”

Both Workman and Krouse issued statements on the episode to the Widener community. Allen said Workman’s statement went to faculty and staff on the main campus and Krouse sent two messages, one apologizing to students in the class and the other to all nursing students.

“You are the center of everything we do,” Krouse wrote to nursing students, “and your success is our success.”