UBC Faculty Association calls for resignation of board chair John Montalbano
Board of governors chair says he didn't threaten professor's academic freedom or funding
UBC's Faculty Association is calling for the resignation of John Montalbano, the chair of the university's board of governors, following his public denials of an allegation he tried to compromise a professor's academic freedom.
In a letter to UBC's acting president, the head of the faculty association Mark MacLean says Montalbano should not give interviews to the media while the university investigates the allegations.
"Mr. Montalbano should not, in his position as chair of the board, comment upon and or address such a process when he is, in fact, the focus of the investigation," MacLean wrote in a letter to Angela Redish.
"While we understand his desire to speak personally about the allegations made against him, the manner and forum in which he has chosen to do so is utterly inappropriate."
Montalbano gave a series of media interviews Tuesday to say he never intended to threaten professor Jennifer Berdahl's academic freedom or funding in reaction to a blog post.
He said he was deeply concerned about the portrayal of a telephone conversation they had after she suggested former UBC president Arvind Gupta resigned after losing a "masculinity contest" with university leadership.
Berdahl holds a teaching position created through a $2-million donation from Montalbano, an RBC executive.
The university is investigating the allegations; in a statement, Montalbano asked Berdahl to engage the faculty association's grievance process and committed to co-operating should she lodge a formal request.
But in his letter to Redish, MacLean says the procedure is not Montalbano's to invoke.
"By speaking to, and inserting himself publicly, into the university labour relations processes, he appears — once again — to be seeking to be directly involved in internal university affairs," MacLean wrote.
"In doing so, he continues to exhibit an inability to understand the seriousness of the conflict of interest allegations he is facing, or the responsibilities and limitations of his role on the board."
In a separate statement, the Canadian Association of University Teachers called on Montalbano to step aside pending the outcome of the university's investigation.
CAUT calls itself the national voice for academic staff, representing university researchers, teachers, librarians and academic staff.
Montalbano could not be reached for comment through UBC.
With files from Jason Proctor