Gupta’s departure deserves public explanation, says faculty association

The University of British Columbia’s faculty association is calling on the school and former president Arvind Gupta, who abruptly resigned last month, to speak freely and fully about why he quit or was pushed out.

“We have a major public relations crisis unfolding, complete with rumours of backstabbing, malfeasance, conflicts of interest, and manipulation, as well as an ongoing independent inquiry into actions of senior university officials,” the faculty association executive’s letter to the UBC board of governors states. “The University’s reputation is seriously compromised, and further secrecy and obfuscation will compound the damage.”

The faculty association urges the board rescind its non-disclosure agreement with Gupta so that the full story can be told.

“If this agreement was put in place to protect Professor Gupta, then speculation and the public dissection of his presidency in the media have removed any intended sense of privacy,” the letter states.

Speculation is rampant about the reasons Gupta left his post, including the idea that he may have alienated the university’s deans by focusing his attention on the classroom and teaching at the expense of administrators, that a lack of university administration experience may have caused him problems, or that some deans rebelled after the provost was moved to a new role as adviser to the president.

Without a proper assessment of the reasons Gupta resigned, unanswered questions will remain about the governance of the university, the letter states.

“We are also greatly concerned that continued secrecy about the circumstances of Professor Gupta’s departure will make it difficult — if not impossible — for the university to conduct a search for a new president, and to ensure that the unfortunate events of this summer will not recur,” the letter states. UBC had no comment. Interim and returning president Martha Piper took over Tuesday for a one-year term.

The letter notes that the university has many senior people in temporary, “acting” positions, including Piper, the provost and vice-president academic, and the vice-president communications. The board of governors also has an acting chairwoman after John Montalbano stepped down during an investigation into whether he breached academic freedom.

The vice-president of finance joined UBC only in June, while the vice-president, research and international is nearing the end of his term.

“The University’s reputation is seriously compromised, and further secrecy and ob fuscation will compound the damage.

UBC FACULTY ASSOCIATION

IN LETTER TO BOARD OF GOVERNORS