U. of I. trustees revoke professor's tenure

Source: Chicago TribuneNov.儲存 14--SPRINGFIELD -- In what is likely a first for the University of Illinois, school trustees decided this morning to revoke the tenure of a longtime faculty member who had a history of clashing with the administration.In dismissing engineering professor Louis Wozniak, 75, the board of trustees voted that there was "clear and convincing evidence" that he "can no longer be relied upon to perform University duties." He was fired effective immediately."The gravity of Professor Wozniak's misconduct justifies that his dismissal be effective immediately," the board said in its resolution, passed at a meeting in Springfield.Wozniak's dispute with U. of I. began more than four years ago when the popular but controversial professor believed he was wrongly denied a student-selected teaching award. The prize came with a plaque and $500 presented at a dinner.After being passed over for the award, Wozniak was accused of publicly embarrassing a student, videotaping students without written consent and approaching students about the next year's teaching award. He also was accused of violating university policy by sending seniors an email with sexual overtones.The trustees' decision to fire him came after school officials have alleged Wozniak refused to abide by a directive to remove private student information from his website, .illethics.info. The information related largely to a private discussion he had with a student about the award.Wozniak said he began clearing out his office Wednesday after hearing from his attorney that he was likely to be terminated."I am sad because I really liked teaching and I really like my students," Wozniak said Wednesday night. "How many people have done for 52 years what they always wanted to do? I got to do that. I am delighted over that, but not delighted that it has ended, and ended this way."U. of I. officials say it's likely the first time in university history that a tenure review case has made it to the board of trustees. Tenured faculty members are dismissed from time to time, but it typically happens quietly when they resign or negotiate a settlement with the university.Tenure is the closest thing to lifetime employment, and a professor can only dismissed after "the showing of due cause," according to university statutes, which includes showing that he can no longer perform university duties.In Wozniak's case, administrators initiated dismissal proceedings years ago, which included presenting its case to a faculty committee. The faculty group decided in January that Wozniak acted inappropriately in one instance, but that he shouldn't lose his job. Instead, the committee imposed conditions, including that he shouldn't share on his website the private conversation he and a student had about the award.Failure to do so, "shall be cause to dismiss him," according to the faculty group.University officials claim Wozniak did not follow the guidelines, and U. of I. President Robert Easter took the case to the board of trustees -- the only way that Wozniak's tenure could be revoked and he could be fired.Wozniak, whose salary is $85,547, has been on a paid suspension since August 2010. He would still be eligible to receive his pension if he were fired.He has denied all along that he did anything wrong, and said he has spent more than $100,000 defending himself. He continued to go to his office five or six days a week while he was suspended, he said.While Wozniak said he has been hopeful that he won't be dismissed, he also said he was prepared for the d迷你倉cision."There is only one guy who I look into the face in the morning when I shave," Wozniak said. "Somebody has to stand up for principle."Wozniak has a bachelor's degree and Ph.D. from U. of I. He joined the faculty in 1967 and received tenure in 1972.His latest clashes with U. of I. officials were not his first. In the mid 1990s, he challenged a university requirement that he provide his grade books to the engineering department. He said he was on a paid teaching suspension for about seven years during that time.But Wozniak, known as "Woz" to his students, received several teaching awards.It was the 2009 award, chosen by two student engineering groups, that led to his recent troubles. Wozniak had won it before, and when another professor was named the winner, Wozniak challenged the results. (A faculty report later revealed that 49 students had voted, and Wozniak received nine votes, more than any other professor.)According to the faculty group that reviewed Wozniak's conduct, the professor didn't let it go.Wozniak interviewed one of the student leaders in his office and then publicized to others that she had cried, according to the faculty report. He made a video about the award, posted it on YouTube and included a link to the video in his email signature. He filed a civil lawsuit against the student leaders and allegedly revealed one of the student's grades to his attorney.But what precipitated Wozniak's suspension -- and the beginning of the tenure revocation proceedings -- was a May 2010 email Wozniak sent to more than 100 graduating seniors. He refers to the students as his "adorable GKs," or grandkids, a moniker he regularly used to address them.After congratulating them and urging them to act with the "highest ethical behavior," he concludes: "If you return to visit and see me, please don't ask if I remember your name. Just tell it to me up front. I only remember names of the GKs I've had sex with."He said it was a dumb joke and that he never had sex with his students. The next morning he emailed an apology.But the engineering dean suspended him from teaching, and the university initiated the tenure termination process that concluded Thursday. The administration charged him with 12 allegations of misconduct, most of them focusing on his behavior related to the teaching award.While the faculty committee said earlier this year that Wozniak's behavior was not cause for dismissal, it warned that he should be fired if he continued to publicize student information on his website.In urging the trustees to revoke Wozniak's tenure, U. of I. President Robert Easter wrote in a statement to the board that Wozniak "has a history of engaging in significant and repeated acts of unprofessional conduct."But U. of I. alum Tim Seiwert said Wozniak was one of the best professors he had. Wozniak, he said, gave his engineering students homework before the first day of class, asking them to look at their toilets and figure out how they work."You came into his class critically thinking about something," said Seiwert, 31, a civil engineer for a Chicago construction company. "Out of all my teachers, I remember him. He was there for the students. He would say, 'I'm going to lunch, follow me. I will buy you lunch.'"But Seiwert said it was clear that Wozniak was the "black sheep" of the engineering department."He was revered by students but he bucked authority," Seiwert said.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Chicago Tribune Visit the Chicago Tribune at .chicagotribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存倉