Between late 2024 and early 2025, Merced College experienced a shake-up. Multiple faculty members and staff resigned, another found all of her classes cancelled, and hundreds of students were left scrambling to fulfill graduation requirements.
One dean at the college appeared to be at the center of this turmoil. John Albano was the subject of nearly a dozen complaints filed by faculty and staff who alleged he discriminated against women and minority employees. Even though an outside investigation cleared Albano of wrongdoing, Albano was transferred to a dean position in a different school on campus that did not match his subject matter expertise.
In February 2026, he announced plans to step out of his leadership role and back into a faculty position. Albano and college officials maintain the move is unrelated to the complaints – but many faculty and staff still have questions about whether the entire process was handled fairly.
These stories, based on more than one hundred pages of public documents, additional documents obtained from sources and interviews with nearly two dozen campus sources, explore the allegations against Albano, how he and campus officials responded, the impact on students and the employees who filed complaints, and why some say the problems may point to systemic issues.
Multiple employees filed complaints against a Merced College dean. A back door conflict unfolded
Renée Dekker was a week into her new job at Merced College when, she recalled, her boss made a comment to her that she felt was unwelcome and unprofessional.
“You know, Renée, you will need to be careful now not to gain too much weight sitting at a desk all day because it would not be good,” John Albano, ….
Paper Trails and Transfers: Part 1
In late 2024, nearly a dozen Merced College employees filed complaints against a single dean. That dean announced last month he will later move into a faculty role. A Merced FOCUS and KVPR investigation reports faculty and staff say they still feel unheard from their original complaints.
Paper Trails and Transfers: Part 2
A Merced College dean was the subject of complaints by nearly a dozen faculty and staff in 2024. All of the allegations were dismissed. But a new investigation by The Merced FOCUS and KVPR reports the situation caused turmoil on campus, including for students.
Two transfers in less than two years. Questions surround a Merced College dean
A Merced College dean recently announced plans to enter into a faculty role more than a year after nearly a dozen campus employees filed complaints against him – sparking fresh scrutiny by faculty and staff over how college administrators handled the situation…
At Merced College, workplace conflict left ethnic studies students scrambling for classes
Rasha Almohamadi spent most of her life skeptical of pursuing higher education. Almohamadi, a single mother, came from war-stricken Yemen, where she said professors “are like God” and women are “not allowed to dream.”…
Central Valley Daily March 2
In late 2024, at least 10 faculty members and employees submitted complaints alleging gender and racial discrimination by a Merced College dean. All of the allegations were ultimately dismissed, but the dean still decided to move to a different department – before he later announced he will be stepping back into a faculty role. An investigation by Rachel Livinal found that the situation was still shaking up the wider campus community. Rachel Livinal, who reported this for both KVPR and the Merced FOCUS, discusses her investigation.
