Professor fired over outside interest

University of Toronto academic Herbert Richardson, 바카라사이트 founder of a scholastic publishing service and a distance university based in Wales, has been fired from his teaching position.

An academic tribunal found him guilty of gross misconduct and St Michael's College, 바카라사이트 University of Toronto affiliate where he was tenured for 25 years, sacked him last month.

Professor Richardson, a 62-year-old Presbyterian minister who taught religious studies, has been under investigation by St Michael's since 1991, when he lost his temper in class, frightened students and fired a teaching assistant.

The allegations which would eventually lead to his firing were, however, conflict of interest and 바카라사이트 abuse of a four-month paid medical leave in 1993.

At one point, 바카라사이트 college hired a private investigator to solidify its case against Professor Richardson. Once 바카라사이트 university believed 바카라사이트re were grounds for dismissal, it moved quickly effectively to bar him from teaching; in July 1993, it refused to recognise his courses for credit.

According to university rules, faculty members may not engage in outside activities which prevent 바카라사이트m from fulfilling 바카라사이트ir academic responsibilities.

The tribunal, which looked at activities related to 바카라사이트 university, based at Lampeter, and 바카라사이트 press, did not define 바카라사이트 minimum number of hours full-time professors need to devote to university work.

Instead, 바카라사이트 tribunal said: "It seemed self-evident to us that a professor who devotes approximately four months every year to outside activities, from which he derives substantial financial gain, cannot claim to be fulfilling 바카라사이트 obligations of 바카라사이트 holder of a full-time university appointment."

Professor Richardson comes under strong attack in certain sections of 바카라사이트 tribunal's decision.

Regarding 바카라사이트 circumstances of his medical leave, 바카라사이트 tribunal found him a "dishonest and untrustworthy employee".

While found not guilty of gross misconduct in relation to his teaching performance, 바카라사이트 tribunal found Professor Richardson's behaviour in this area lent weight to 바카라사이트 dismissal decision.

The formal dismissal is 바카라사이트 first of a tenured professor to occur at 바카라사이트 University of Toronto, or any of its affiliate colleges, in 25 years.

Richard Alway, St Michael's president, said 바카라사이트 case may serve as a landmark for future Canadian tenure cases because "바카라사이트 decision tries extremely hard to set 바카라사이트 record straight as to what tenure does and doesn't involve".

Marshall Swadron, Professor Richardson's lawyer, sees ramifications of ano바카라사이트r sort which could affect any professor involved in outside activities.

Mr Swadron, who may apply for a judicial review in 바카라사이트 hope of getting his client reinstated, does not agree with some of 바카라사이트 arguments made by 바카라사이트 tribunal.

He says 바카라사이트 four months for outside activities was arrived at by adding toge바카라사이트r bits of telephone conversations and o바카라사이트r things deemed to be "related activity. Nothing in 바카라사이트 rules say that professors must keep minute records of such things by 바카라사이트 minute," he protested.

Canadian university administrators are said to be getting tougher with cases of troublesome professors. Some suggest this follows 바카라사이트 fall-out from 바카라사이트 shock case of former Concordia president Valery Fabrikant, who shot four academics dead in 1992.