UND and Psychology Department Administrators Permit Extramarital Affair

A  UND psychology professor of 4.5 years left the Dept. of Psychology in December, 1997 after his then wife, Dr. Nancy Vogeltanz, was carrying on an extramarital affair with his then academic BOSS, Dr. Jeff Holm (who was at the time Director of Clinical Training)!

The professor asked the University's administrators to intercede, because this sexual tryst was not only destroying his personal life, but to his professional life.  The great irony is that Dr. Jeff Holm was at the time (and still is) the President of the state board of psychologist examiners, the state agency charged with upholding ethical principles!  Moreover, at the time Dr. Jeff Holm was having this extramarital affair he too was married with two small children!

It was quite a scandal, and resulted in this highly qualified professor's decision to leave UND. This case is extremely sad when you consider it not only destroyed this professor's personal life but seriously damaged the quality of the University's psychology program as he was the most productive scholar in the department in terms of publications and research grant money.

Shockingly, the Psychology Department allowed this tryst to go on, in spite of the fact that Holm's was this professor's "boss" at the time. The following year Holm's was relieved of his position as the Director of Clinical Training, but remains remains employed by the University of North Dakota's Psychology Department.

This episode again illustrates UND's pervasive poor performance and disregard for  individuals and the quality of its academic programs.

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