Boston University professor and critical theorist Ibram X. Kendi has been placed under investigation by the school amid allegations of a mismanaged workplace culture.

Kendi recently dismissed more than half of employees at the Center for Antiracist Research, an initiative at Boston University which has raised tens of millions from wealthy entrepreneurs and small donors. Many of the projects, including a database to monitor nationwide racial disparities, have not yet been completed since the center was created. Current and former employees said in interviews with The Boston Globe that Kendi led a mismanaged and dysfunctional organization that failed to complete most core projects.

Boston University subsequently announced an inquiry into the “management culture” and “management of grant funds” at the Center for Antiracist Research.

“We recognize the importance of Dr. Kendi’s work and the significant impact it has had on antiracist thinking and policy,” a statement from Boston University remarked. “Boston University and Dr. Kendi believe strongly in the center’s mission, and while he takes strong exception to the allegations made in recent complaints and media reports, we look forward to working with him as we conduct our assessment.”

Kendi is the author of How to Be an Antiracist, a book which asserts that “racism is a powerful system that creates false hierarchies of human value” even at the level of societies and institutions. The volume soared to nationwide prominence amid the death of George Floyd and the subsequent nationwide social justice movement three years ago.

Netflix previously committed to developing adaptations for books written by Kendi. The streaming service was later forced to cancel an animated movie for Antiracist Baby, a board book which seeks to introduce “the youngest readers and the grown-ups in their lives to the concept and power of antiracism,” amid declines in subscription rates.