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Meanwhile, the acting TRU president, Christine Bovis-Cnossen, is refusing to cooperate with an investigation into whether Pyne’s academic freedom has been violated. The probe is being conducted by the Canadian Association of University Teachers, which represents faculty across the nation.

“The optics are clearly bad,” Pyne said, when asked about how people will view Fairbairn’s approach to academic freedom when he takes over as president on December 1.

“But as far as the reality is concerned, I’m agnostic. I have heard different opinions (about Fairbairn) from colleagues. A minority view is that he will have learned from his mistakes after the publicity of the University of Saskatchewan incident. However, I have heard many express skepticism that administrators of that age can change.”

Photo by Allen Douglas / PNG

David Robinson, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, said Fairbairn’s official arrival at TRU in less than two weeks will offer him “an important moment” to remedy past mistakes.

“I would call upon him, as his first act, to cooperate with our investigation. Academic freedom … is the central value of the university. Any suspicion that academic freedom is being compromised should be of concern to the entire academic community, including quite centrally the administration. The university’s reputation is at stake.”

TRU’s acting president, who has cited privacy guidelines for not explaining why Pyne is being disciplined, declined to respond to questions about how the university will deal with faculty and public worries that Fairbairn’s record suggests he will not be an adequate defender of academic freedom.