Fired University of Saskatchewan Professor Re-Hired After Major Outcry

Professor Robert Buckingham, a long time professor at the University of Saskatchewan, was recently fired for speaking out about some major ongoing budget cuts and restructuring plans at the U of S.

The University administration claimed that there was a difference between the freedom of expression tenured professors should expect for expressing controversial or politically incorrect views and that which is expected of senior leaders at the institution with regards to transformative change initiatives (although as the “Most Liked” comment on the CBC story I link to below proves, some would argue that speaking out in this way is actually showing true leadership…

so by standing up for the university overall and opposing the budget cuts you get sidetracked by the current administration because you refuse to support their BS, sounds like the leaders the unviversity administration approves of are the ones who will not show leadership and just do what they are told.

part of being a leader is standing up and opposing bad ideas, leaders do not sit by and applaud every idea that comes from the administration

After a major outcry from academics, students, former University administrators, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Advanced Education and pretty much every single person on my Facebook Newsfeed, the firing was reversed and Professor Buckingham’s tenure was restored although not in his former position.

U of S president Ilene Busch-Vishniac told CBC News that Buckingham should never have been fired from his tenured position, calling the dismissal “a blunder.” She said the university is looking into how it happened and those involved will be disciplined.

It’s been an interesting situation to watch develop as it raises lot of interesting questions about the nature of freedom of expression, especially in institutions of learning (or are they?); the obligations of employees speaking about their workplace – both at work and in their personal lives; the potential fallout that can ensue when management mis-handles employee relations, or worse, utilize heavy-handed excessive discipline.

And of course, this situation has also completely overshadowed another major travesty of the TransformUS project – the planned closure of four libraries at the U of S.

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