Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer is accusing Hamline University of caving to faculty opposition and reneging on an agreement for him to teach at its business school.

Emmer said Tuesday that the St. Paul school agreed to hire him for the job and to fill an “executive in residence” position earlier this fall. But, he said, the school backed away after a small group of staff, including business school professor David Schultz, objected to his political views, including his opposition to same-sex marriage.

Emmer said the school should admit it did not honor the agreement because staff did not want a conservative like him teaching there.

In a letter to Hamline President Linda Hanson, Emmer said, “Madam President, is there a requirement that every faculty member at Hamline conform on the issue of marriage? Is there only one point of view allowed? Is there no political or religious freedom recognized at Hamline? I thought the ‘mission’ at Hamline University was to educate – not to inculcate.”

However, Hamline spokeswoman JacQui Getty said there never was a final agreement between Emmer and the private liberal arts university, and it has no plans to do what Emmer has asked.

“Hamline was in discussions with Mr. Emmer about the opportunity for him to teach a business law class, and we were working together on a proposal that would position him as ‘executive in residence’ within our school of business,” the school said.

“Although there were conversations over several months about the opportunity for Mr. Emmer to join the Hamline faculty, there was no finalized agreement.”

Schultz, meanwhile, disputed Emmer’s characterization. He said he did not oppose Emmer’s hiring because of his political views and would not have objected to him teaching a business class.

“I wouldn’t have cared one way or the other – if someone had actually asked me,” Schultz said.

Emmer, a former state representative from Delano, was the GOP candidate for governor last year. He lost to Democrat Mark Dayton in a race that ended when he conceded as a recount was wrapping up. He also is a lawyer and co-host of a radio talk show.

In his letter to Hanson, Emmer laid out the events he said led him to believe he and the school had a deal.

He said Anne McCarthy, the dean of the university’s school of business, offered him a position of “executive in residence” on Sept. 19 after receiving approval from Hanson and the dean of students. He said details, including salary and benefits, were agreed to and a written contract was finalized the week of Oct. 18.

Emmer also said he was hired Oct. 6 to teach a business law class to undergraduates and signed the required paperwork.

But on Nov. 16, when he went to his first meeting of the business department, he said, a faculty member asked him if he had run for governor. He said he had.

Two days later, he said McCarthy called him and said one or more faculty members had been organizing opposition to his hiring. He said McCarthy told him his contracts for the executive position had been approved and would be finalized the week of Thanksgiving.

In the following days, he left messages with McCarthy that he could come to St. Paul to sign a final contract. But on Nov. 23, he said, she told him the university would not honor the agreement because of a “very vocal few” faculty members.

“Obviously, this was extremely disappointing to me, but I was even more disappointed by what Anne told me next…incredibly, because of my conservative political views I will not be allowed to teach business law to Hamline students,” he wrote.

“That was the most unfortunate and, frankly, most disturbing phone call I have ever had,” he said in an interview.

McCarthy could not be reached for comment.

Emmer said he eventually learned of a Nov. 22 article in the student newspaper, the Oracle, about his hiring that included questions raised by Schultz, a well-known political commentator.

Then, Emmer said, he read a Dec. 6 newspaper report that he had never been hired. He characterized the story as “outrageous and unnecessary.”

Among other things, it made a reference to Schultz saying faculty members were concerned Emmer was simply being selected by McCarthy, which goes against the faculty handbook, and that he held “political positions that were incompatible with the university’s mission, specifically his stance on same-sex marriage.”

“Isn’t this exactly what certain segments of our population call bullying?” Emmer asked.

Asked about the same-sex marriage reference, Schultz said he saw it in a faculty member’s email but had no idea if it was sent to administrators.

“I have almost no knowledge on this matter,” he said.

Saying he believes he is owed an apology and a retraction, Emmer asked the school to withdraw the article from the online version of the school newspaper and to issue this statement:

“Tom Emmer and Hamline University had an agreement in principle pursuant to which Mr. Emmer was prepared to raise significant funds for Hamline University to be used developing one of the most unique business school resources in the country. Tom Emmer was also, in fact, hired by Hamline University as an adjunct professor to teach business law to undergraduates. Hamline University, however, decided not to honor the agreement with Mr. Emmer because of faculty members who objected to a conservative with Mr. Emmer’s political views teaching at the school.”

Getty said the university has no control over the newspaper and has no plans to issue Emmer’s statement.

Asked how such a dispute could develop, Getty said, “I think there were discussions over several months and that probably helped contribute to that.”

But such extended talks, she added, are not that unusual.

“We definitely get proposals and explore opportunities often and they don’t always come to fruition,” Getty added.

Dennis Lien can be reached at 651-228-5588.