Any Advice I will take

Hello Imgurian.
One thing I have learned over the years of browsing and laughing in imgur is that the community is awesome. You give the support for all the right causes and reasons. I've seen and heard so many stories of support, encouragement , and even advise. So I have decided to share my story with you. If you have any advice, I'd appreciate it.

A little over a year ago my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer with surgery, chemo, and occasional trips to the ER had really impacted my finance and phd studies. With life circumstances, I've decided to shift to be a part time phd student and look for a full time job. Within my search, I found, interviewed, was offered, and accepted my dream job - to be a Makerspace Manager at a University.

My studies and research revolves around academic makerspaces and I have a strong background in setting up and managing different maker equipment (3D printers, laser cutter, CNC routers, hand tools, 2D and 3D designing, and more); developing equipment operation and safety procedures so the equipment are approachable to students of all level of skills; creating and conducting workshops on different tools; and mentoring, consulting, and collaborating with students, staff, and faculty on all kind of projects. This background has made me a strong candidate for the position.

The position was at a really prestigious university. The top university in the US and the world. As the manager of the makerspace, I was asked to build a 'new' open access makerspace for the University, accessible for all student, staff, and faculty. This was my dream job.

When I was interviewing for the position there was one detail that seemed like a red flag. But I didn't realize the red flag was more blood red and would be the cause of so much trouble, stress, depression, anxiety, and harassments. And two weeks ago, it gotten to a boiling point and now I have lost all my passion and motivation for the job.

A little background of the Makerspace. The Makerspace "existed" before I got hired. But during that time it was only used by one professor who taught a makerspace course within the Makerspace. The Makerspace is situated within an academic unit/center where we offer programs, courses, and minors around deisgn thinking, entrepenurship, and innovation. This professor, which I will be addessing as BZ, is a professor in the engineering deparment and is a hired teaching faculty for the center. But over the years he had very little interferrence from the center and left autonomously on the course and the makerspace. He would buy equipments without checking with our center, facilities, or with EHS (enviornment, Health, and Safety) department. Would go over budget regularly. and demand thing be done how he wanted - if he got a 'no' from the staff he would go to a different staff or higher up and demand that he 'needs' it and get a yes one way or another. Becasue of this he has ownership mentally of the space. That has grew into him thinking and acting as if I work for him and for 'his makerspace'.

There is a lot more about BZ, but I will leave it there for now.

To the event of what happened. One day one of his TA's brought in a box of a new embroidery machine. I had no idea or was communicated that the current emboridery machine was broken or he was going to buy one on his own. Then told his TA to set up both embrodiery machine (the new one and old one) - dispite our university being one of the top univeristies the makerspace's space is limited, so we can't add a new equipemnt without planning. This is something I have been working on from day one and trying to make the space flow better work space and safety, but I have constantly being blocked by BZ - Dispite BZ pulled somthing like this multiple times in the past few months, I kept my professionalism and sent the following email to ask him to keep me in the loop of purchaing equipments and if he could remove the old machine because we need to be wise about the space. Then the following was his response.

My email to BZ.
The blacked out name is the AI's name

The reply I got back from BZ.
The blacked out name is my supervisor.

I was in shock. I've developed a level of anxiety when I hear him walking down the hall (He clips a pile of keys on this pants, so you here the keys where ever he is walking). For a week, I've isolated myself in a different empty office at work, so I don't encounter BZ at school. I'd hoped that this would be the last straw for my supervisor and Director of the center, but when they had the meeting with BZ a week after the email exchange - nothing was resolved or lines drawn. I have been told, for now, we are going to do what BZ wants.

From what I have been told around the department who has worked with him directly or with some capacity can tell similar offensive, unprofessional, and behavior of harassment. This has been a regular behavior of his. To him all staff is underneath him and he gets to do whatever he wants. This lack of regulation and management from the department and school comes form the fact that he has been a faculty at the university since 79, he is well liked by other faculty members, and he does well with alums and donors. Our school is rich, rich people donates a lot of money to the school. I am learning the School is more interested in making faculty happy who brings in money through the donors.

I don't know what to do. I don't know how I can keep working with someone when they are not my supervior or within the leadership of the center to manipulate and do whatever they want. It seems like my superviors, the deparment, or school can't or will not do anything drastic becasue BZ is well connected. From stories I've heard, there was nothing drastic done to him when he done the same thing or worse to other staff memebers. My depression has really kicked in the past week. My motivation for my passion has been snuffed out. I've started looking for a new job, there is one that looks really good, wish me luck.

If you have any thoughts or advise, I will take them.

TL;DR Got my dream job of being the Manager of a university makerspace. A professor verbally attacked me for doing my job. Triggering my depression and anxiety and lost my passion for my work. Hopeless becasue he is well connected in the school.

3D printed Flexi-rexi (with my keychain hole addition) tax
(Flexi-Rex are my favorite things to print)

update. 12/13/2022
https://imgur.com/gallery/AjOejfo