By Michele Richinick

The sudden suspension of mathematics Professor David Massey has cast a shadow on the university’s reputation in the math community, and will likely damage Northeastern’s prospects for hiring top candidates, something the math department needed, said interim math chair Robert McOwen.

Massey’s suspension has attracted publicity outside the Northeastern community and is bound to have a negative impact on recruiting new math professors, McOwen said.

Former math department chair Massey was suspended March 3 after an undisclosed complaint was filed against him through the Office of Affirmative Action and Diversity. Massey is filing a faculty grievance in response, said his attorney, Dahlia Rudavsky, as reported in a recent article in The News.

The Mathematics department is in great need of applied mathematics professors, said Thomas Sherman, a longstanding math professor, but the effort was cut short by Massey’s abrupt removal.

“We had been poised to look for new faculty members. There’s a well recognized need both within the department and within our sibling disciplines, notably physics and engineering, that the mathematics department really needs people in applied mathematics,” he told The News in the May 21 issue. “Under Massey’s leadership, we had gotten close to the point of being able to employ people.”

Sherman said he is also expecting a greater need for hires as some professors near retirement. However, Massey’s removal has dampened the mood of the department to the point where members can’t sing its praises to potential employees, who are already leery of the situation due to an online petition started by students, Sherman said.

McOwen said Massey had been putting some energy and time into hiring candidates. He has been trying to pick up where Massey left off, he said, but has faced some difficulties.

“[The incident] didn’t have a big impact but it did disrupt some of the processes. It’s embarrassing to talk to a perspective candidate