University of Saskatchewan fires president Ilene Busch-Vishniac amid controversy over professor's dismissal
Protesters said the tipping point was Ilene Busch-Vishniac's treatment ofa professor who was fired after writing a letter critical of the budget overhaul process
A university president who sparked a storm of controversy by firing a tenured professor has herself been let go.
[np_storybar title="Statement from the University of Saskatchewan Board of Governors" link=""]
Today the University of Saskatchewan Board of Governors announced the termination, without cause, of the appointment of Dr. Ilene Busch-Vishniac as President and Vice-Chancellor, effective immediately. She is eligible to take up her faculty post in the university's College of Engineering.
In the wake of an ongoing reputational crisis related to recent leadership decisions, the Board met on May 19, 2014, and determined that further due diligence was required. The board has since gathered more information and has deliberated again. The board feels strongly that the university's ongoing operations and its reputational rebuilding efforts will be more effective with new leadership.
It was a painful week for the University of Saskatchewan. Many students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the U of S, and the people of the province generally, were dismayed by news emerging from the campus over the last seven days. The board was deeply troubled by this situation and committed itself to repairing the university's reputation.
The board has named Dr. Gordon Barnhart as the Acting President of the University of Saskatchewan. The board has every confidence that Dr. Barnhart will provide strong leadership at this critical time in the university's history. He comes to the post with five decades of history with the university. The board is very pleased that Dr. Barnhart has accepted this acting role. He will begin in the acting role on May 22, 2014.
The board would also like to state in the strongest possible terms, that the University of Saskatchewan is committed to the principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression. It would also like to stress that it believes that tenure is a sacrosanct principle within this university.
Finally, the Board of Governors at the University of Saskatchewan continues to be strongly committed to the goal of financial sustainability and renewal.
Details regarding searches for both president and provost will be announced at a later date.
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The University of Saskatchewan board of governors announced that Ilene Busch-Vishniac was terminated without cause as president and vice-chancellor, effective immediately.
The board said in a statement issued late Wednesday that the university "is committed to the principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression" and considers tenure "a sacrosanct principle."
"The board feels strongly that the university's ongoing operations and its reputational rebuilding efforts will be more effective with new leadership," said the release.
"It was a painful week for the University of Saskatchewan. Many students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the U of S, and the people of the province generally, were dismayed by news emerging from the campus over the last seven days.
"The board was deeply troubled by this situation and committed itself to repairing the university's reputation."
On Tuesday, hundreds of angry students, staff and alumni staged a noisy protest demanding Busch-Vishniac resign.
Protest organizers said the tipping point was her treatment of Robert Buckingham, who was stripped of tenure and fired from his job as head of the School of Public Health. Buckingham was escorted from campus by police last week after writing a letter to the Saskatchewan government and Opposition New Democrats critical of the university's budget overhaul process.
Busch-Vishniac quickly responded that the school "made a blunder" when it fired Buckingham.
He was offered back — and accepted — his tenure position, but Busch-Vishniac said he would not be reinstated as executive director of the School of Public Health. She said leadership at the university is expected to align behind the decisions of the administration.
Uproar over the Buckingham debacle also led to the resignation Monday of Brett Fairbairn, the university's provost and vice-president academic. Fairbairn had signed Buckingham's termination letter.
Students at the protest also complained that there wasn't enough consultation about the budget cuts, which includes eliminating some programs and jobs.
The cuts are part of a bigger goal to address a projected $44.5-million deficit in the school's operating budget by 2016.
The board said Busch-Vishniac can take up a faculty post in the university's College of Engineering.
She will be replaced by former lieutenant governor Gordon Barnhart as the acting president. Barnhart is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, served as university secretary and has taught political studies and history classes in the College of Arts and Science.
Gord Waldner / The StarPhoenix
His appointment was quickly approved by Premier Brad Wall, who took to Twitter to call Barnhart "an excellent choice" as interim president.
"Thank you to the board for this decision," wrote Wall.
Dr. Gordon Barnhart is an excellent choice as interim President for @usask Thank you to the board for this decision
— Brad Wall (@BradWall306) May 22, 2014