The Chair of the University of British Columbia has issued a statement following allegations made by a professor regarding the sudden departure of the UBC President.
John Montalbano recently came under fire for attempting to silence Professor Jennifer Berdahl after she took to her blog to write about former UBC President Arvind Gupta’s departure. In her blog post, Berdahl claims that Gupta was bullied out of his position as President.
Berdahl claimed that Montalbano contacted her after the public statements were posted online, a decision that was seen as a suppression of academic freedom and expression.
“First and foremost, I want to reinforce the University of British Columbia’s commitment to academic freedom and my commitment as Chair of the Board of Governors to academic freedom. At its August 17, 2015 Board meeting, the Board of Governors reaffirmed their confidence in me as Chair, which I respect and appreciate. It is an honour to volunteer my time as Chair and I will continue to serve,” said Montalbano in his media statement.
Montalbano goes on to address the allegations that he interfered with Berdahl’s academic freedom, saying he was “deeply concerned” with the way the interaction has been portrayed.
“My intention in contacting Professor Berdahl, who has been a trusted colleague for two years and with whom I have regular contact, was to discuss her blog post and to further understand the professor’s concerns,” stated Montalbano. “She agreed to the call and said that she welcomed the discussion and would not see it as affecting her academic freedom. At no time did I ask the professor to retract any of her blog and at no time did I threaten her funding.”
Photo Credit: UBC
Montalbano goes on to say he was hurt and upset to learn that allegations were swirling regarding the conversation that implied he had tried to silence her blog and opinions. He is calling for an objective, independent, and thorough process be followed to determine if there is any validity to the allegations.
In the statement there is no mention about Gupta’s sudden departure from the university, nor any indication that Berdahl’s accusations of bullying were either true or false. The UBC Faculty Association is calling for full disclosure regarding Gupta’s resignation and consistent transparency moving forward.
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