Hostile work environments in the U.S. have been long examined, beginning with the pioneering work of Carroll Brodsky (1976), which produced the idea of workplace bullying. Academic bullying, a term that derived from the concept of broader workplace bullying, is situated specifically within the academic work environment. While academic bullying has gained attention over the last two decades, there is still a paucity of research that investigates bullying within the ivory tower, and the effects it has on faculty. Furthermore, researchers have found that bullying is almost three times as likely to occur in educational spaces as compared with other professional settings (Gupta et al., 2017). This study sought to understand the lived experiences of faculty who have encountered academic bullying at four-year institutions, how these experiences impact their work and personal lives, and how power dynamics and institutional failure contribute to these experiences. Guided by the theory of social closure and engaging critical narrative inquiry, findings reveal that faculty of color are often targets of bullying based on their minoritized identities, and that academic bullying often stems from an abuse of power from those with social privileges and positional power. The results are of critical importance to university leadership, including provosts and academic deans, as well as department chairs and faculty in an effort to retain exceptional talent and reduce workplace violence. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]