Valparaiso University dismissed its business school dean, Niclas Erhardt, after he was charged with misdemeanor assault, but the nature of the charges remains unexplained and Erhardt’s attorney says he was actually fired for being a whistleblower about the university’s finances
Valparaiso University announced February 18 that it had fired its business school dean, citing misdemeanor battery charges from last November. But the cause of the charges remains a mystery to the public — and the former dean’s attorney suggests they were made in retaliation for his role as a whistleblower over the university’s finances.
University Provost Eric Johnson told students, faculty, and staff in the College of Business in an email last week that Niclas Erhardt, dean since 2020, had been dismissed after being originally charged last November with criminal misdemeanor battery charges by the Valparaiso University Police Department. Erhardt had been on a leave of absence since February 3.
“We are aware of the charges against Erhardt and take this matter very seriously,” a university spokesperson wrote in a statement to the Valparaiso Torch. “The safety and well-being of our community remain our highest priority, and we are committed to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all faculty, staff and students. Erhardt is no longer dean at the university and we continue to cooperate with law enforcement authorities regarding this investigation.”
A DEAN ‘PASSIONATE ABOUT INNOVATIVE HIGHER ED’
Niclas Erhardt
A private university of around 2,300 total students in northwest Indiana, Valparaiso sits about an hour’s drive from downtown Chicago. Its College of Business offers two graduate degrees: an MBA that can be completed online, and an MS in Sports Administration. The Flexible MBA had an enrollment of 76 and was ranked No. 114 out of 356 by U.S. News & World Report in 2025. Valparaiso’s B-school is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Erhardt came to Valparaiso in August 2020 from Maine Business School at the University of Maine, where he was associate dean, interim dean, and director of the Professional Development Center, according to his LinkedIn profile. He earned a bachelor’s degree in human resource management and organizational behavior from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations in 1999, an MS in industrial relations from Iowa State’s Ivy College of Business in 2001, and a Ph.D. from Rutgers Business School in 2008.
“I’m passionate about innovative higher education, and life-long learning linked with social, environmental, and economic sustainable practices,” Erhardt writes on his LinkedIn page. “I serve as a thought leader and practitioner in the educational space to navigate a post-pandemic world where experiential hands-on learning must be integrated with technology, industry, and business leaders. With over 20 years of teaching, researching, and consulting experience in the areas of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior and Development, I’m excited about our future leaders!”
On Google Scholar, Erhardt had 6,874 citations as of Monday (February 24), including 2,640 since 2020. His most-cited work is a 2003 paper, Board of Director Diversity and Firm Financial Performance, which examines the relationship between demographic diversity on boards of directors with firm financial performance.
FIRED FOR BEING A WHISTLEBLOWER?
Charges were first made against Erhardt on November 22, 2024, by the Valparaiso University Police Department. According to The Torch, the case filing, “State of Indiana v. Niclas Leif Erhardt,” does not make clear where the battery occurred or who the victim or victims are. The investigation by the university police is said to be ongoing. Associate Dean Matthew Luth, has been a professor of management at the school since 2015, has stepped in to serve as acting dean.
Erhardt was charged in Porter County Superior Court 4. Indiana state law defines Class B battery under IC 35-42-2-1(c) as when, “A person knowingly or intentionally touches another person in a rude, insolent or angry manner, or places bodily fluid or waste on another person in a rude, insolent or angry manner.” The maximum penalty is 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the charging documents say Erhardt “did knowingly or intentionally touch L.B. in a rude, insolent, or angry manner.” But Erhardt’s attorney, Ken Elwood, told the Tribune that “My client reported financial misconduct within the university to the president. The criminal investigation by the university’s private police force is motivated by the university’s financial woes.” Elwood called the investigation “a clear conflict” and a departure from the standard procedure of bringing in outside authorities to investigate allegations and blamed outgoing university President Jose Padilla.
“This is motivated by the president’s concerns for the finances at VU,” Elwood told the Tribune. “It is his desire to remove a highly paid employee. In addition to the violation of multiple federal laws, it also has a whistleblower component.”
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