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University of Saskatchewan fires President Ilene Busch-Vishniac amid ‘reputational crisis’ housecleaning

Former University of Saskatchewan president Ilene Busch-Vishniac.

The University of Saskatchewan announced the firing of President Ilene Busch-Vishniac, effective immediately. The decision comes amid a leadership crisis stemming from the botched firing of Prof. Robert Buckingham, who was removed as dean of the school’s Faculty of Public Health after speaking out against a restructuring strategy.

"In the wake of an ongoing reputational crisis related to recent leadership decisions, the Board ... determined that further due diligence was required," reads a statement. "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."

The termination comes just days after Provost Brett Fairbairn stepped down in an apparent bid to quash controversy surrounding the attempt to fire Buckingham, which has opened a much larger issue of the value of academic freedom at the university.

Earlier this month, Buckingham publicly and critically opposed a cost-cutting restructuring program called TransformUS, leading the school to declare that he had "demonstrated egregious conduct and insubordination" and had breached his contract.

Last week, the university announced that Buckingham had been fired as a professor and removed as the dean of the School of Public Health. He was escorted off campus and told he was not welcome to return.

Within days, backlash prompted an about-face. The school announced that as a tenured professor, Buckingham would not be fired. But he would still be removed as head of the School of Public Health.

Thursday's statement addressed the issue of academic freedom, conceding that it "was a painful week for the University of Saskatchewan” and stating the board of governors was deeply troubled by the damage done to the university’s reputation.

The board stated:

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.

Busch-Vishniac's termination may do more to appease the masses than steps that have been previously taken. A group of student protesters had called Fairbain's resignation “an adorable attempt at dealing with the issues at the university.”

The Canadian Association of University Teachers, however, had remained concerned that Buckingham had been removed as dean of the Faculty of Public Health after speaking his mind.

Dr. Gordon Barnhart, a professor with five decades of experience with the university, has been named acting president. Premier Brad Wall called Barnhart an "excellent choice."

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