CU Regents press release

Published July 25, 2007 at midnight

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CU Regents Dismiss Ward Churchill

July 24, 2007

BOULDER-The University of Colorado Board of Regents today voted to accept President Hank Brown’s recommendation to dismiss Professor Ward Churchill from the faculty of CU-Boulder for conduct that fell below minimum standards of professional integrity.

The vote concluded nearly two and a half years of an extensive faculty review process to investigate charges of research misconduct against Professor Churchill. More than 20 tenured faculty members from CU and other institutions served on three separate panels. Each panel conducted a thorough review of his work and faculty involved found evidence showing Professor Churchill engaged in research misconduct, and that it required serious sanction.

"The university has an obligation to ensure its faculty’s work is above reproach, said CU president Hank Brown. "Academic freedom requires academic integrity, responsibility and accountability."

The record of the case www.cu.edu/churchillcase shows a pattern of serious, repeated and deliberate research misconduct that fell below the minimum stand of professional integrity, involving fabrication, falsification, improper citation and plagiarism.

The university’s review of Professor Churchill focused on his professional activities, not his statements about victims of September 11, 2001. Professor Churchill, like every United States citizen, has the right to make controversial political statements. Early in the investigation, the university determined his speech was protected by the First Amendment. http://www.colorado.edu/news/reports/churchill/distefanostatement.html.

The University of Colorado values academic freedom as the bedrock of any university. But for academic freedom to thrive, it must be accompanied by academic and professional integrity.

The lengthy review process adhered to shared governance procedures established by the faculty and adopted by the Regents. During the more than two years the investigative process has taken, Professor Churchill had the opportunity to present his position. The process allowed him to make his case in writing, in person, with his attorney and with his own witnesses.

The board’s decision to dismiss is final. Professor Churchill will receive one year’s salary as a tenured professor, but will be immediately relieved of his faculty post and responsibilities.

The University of Colorado is a three-university system with campuses in Boulder and Colorado Springs, and a Denver and Health Sciences Center campus located in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. CU is a premier teaching and research university, ranked sixth among public institutions in federal research expenditures by the National Science Foundation. Academic prestige is marked by CU’s four Nobel laureates, seven MacArthur "genius" Fellows, 18 alumni astronauts, 19 Rhodes Scholars and CU-Boulder’s ranking of 11th best public university and 34th best overall university in the world by the Institute for Higher Education.

For further information, please visit www.cu.edu or contact Ken McConnellogue at (303) 860.5626

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