Despite a $12 million legal payout tied to explosive workplace misconduct claims, outgoing Cal State San Bernardino President Tomas Morales is poised for a cushy landing. Morales remains in “…
Despite a $12 million legal payout tied to explosive workplace misconduct claims, outgoing Cal State San Bernardino President Tomas Morales is poised for a cushy landing.
The university has not revealed what Morales’ new job will be, saying only that his position and salary will be announced during Wednesday’s meeting. Morales collected $655,626 in salary and benefits in 2024, according to Transparent California.
The proposed sendoff comes after the California State University system agreed to pay $12 million to settle claims brought by former administrators Clare Weber and Anissa Rogers, who accused Morales and former Palm Desert campus dean Jake Zhu of fostering a workplace plagued by sexism, retaliation and bullying.have all condemned the decision, arguing Morales should not be rewarded after what they described as a “cesspool of gender harassment and discrimination” in their filing.
“The lawsuit raises serious questions about whether President Morales should be regarded in good standing for those benefits,” Thomas Corrigan, communications coordinator for the Cal State San Bernardino chapter of the California Faculty Association told “Dr. Rogers’ and Dr. Weber’s case really stands out as a moral outrage with exceptional financial, reputational and human costs. ” The faculty union had already urged the CSU system in 2024 to deny Morales certain retirement-related benefits.
“We just feel that under his leadership, he has not been an effective leader, therefore, should not ultimately be rewarded,” union chapter president Tiffany Jones told Weber and Rogers have also submitted a public comment urging trustees to scrutinize whether Morales should remain in “good standing” before approving the transition package or emeritus title. According to the lawsuit, Weber was fired after raising concerns about what she believed was a gender pay gap among CSU vice provosts.
“I explicitly raised concerns that these female Vice Provosts were being paid less because of their gender,” Weber wrote in an email to Morales before her termination. Rogers, then associate dean at the Palm Desert campus, said women were routinely screamed at, belittled and interrupted while men were treated with respect.
“I call it fired,” Rogers said. “They told me, ‘Either leave or you will be fired. '” A 2016 campus survey found more than 60% of employees believed conditions had worsened under his leadership, and the faculty senate later approved a vote of no confidence citing bullying, favoritism and retaliation. Morales had also faced a no-confidence vote while serving as president of the College of Staten Island before arriving at Cal State San Bernardino.
During testimony, Zhu defended his management style, saying, “I raised voices to make a point, to change the tones, not in the malicious way or discriminatory way. ”Rogers won a $6 million jury award in October 2025, while Weber accepted a separate $6 million settlement before trial.
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