The senior administration official at the center of the controversial firing of a University of Saskatchewan professor and executive director for the School of Public Health has resigned.
University president Ilene Busch-Vishniac said in a news release issued shortly before an emergency board of governors meeting Monday night that she has accepted Brett Fairbairn's decision to resign as provost.
Fairbairn is also the university's vice-president academic.
The news release says Fairbairn wrote in his resignation letter that he made the decision because of his "genuine interest in the well-being of the University of Saskatchewan."
Robert Buckingham was removed as executive director of the School of Public Health and escorted off campus last week after writing a letter to the government and Opposition New Democrats about an overhaul at the university.
The school later backtracked and offered Buckingham back his tenure position, although it said he wouldn't be reinstated as director.
The board met for more than four hours Sunday night as it discussed the issues surrounding Buckingham’s firing that have created a storm of controversy and the university and throughout the Canadian academic community.
Board chair Susan Milburn said in a statement early Tuesday that the leadership of the university was discussed in depth and the board needs more time before it makes any decisions on school leadership.
“We do not want to act in haste and therefore we have not made any final decisions, other than to maintain our strong commitment to financial sustainability and renewal. We will conclude our due diligence before a decision is rendered on university leadership,” the statement said.
The statement also said the board is committed to academic freedom and freedom of expression and believes it is in compliance with the University of Saskatchewan Act.
The board of governors at the University of Saskatchewan says it needs more time before it makes any decisions on school leadership.
The university released a plan last month that includes cutting jobs, reorganizing the administration, and dissolving some programs to try to save about $25 million. The plan calls for the School of Public Health to be rolled into the College of Medicine, but Buckingham worries that could jeopardize the school's recently earned international accreditation for its Master of Public Health program.
The cuts are part of a bigger goal to address a projected $44.5-million deficit in the school's operating budget by 2016.
Fairbairn noted in his letter that he had been student union president at the University of Saskatchewan from 1978 to 1980 and a faculty member since 1986.
"I believe the work I have done as a student, faculty member, and provost has contributed to the growth of our university's reputation. The same interests lead me to offer stepping aside from the provost role as the best contribution I can now offer under present circumstances," he wrote.
Busch-Vishniac thanked Fairbairn "for his dedication and hard work over the years." She said an interim provost hasn't been appointed yet.
The university's decision to reinstate Buckingham came shortly after Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said he wanted an urgent meeting between the province and the university board.
Wall said he spoke with the board and its chairman, but did not insist on Buckingham being reinstated.
-with Canadian Press files
