U. of Alaska Rejects Retaliation Claim From Scientist Who Criticized Big Oil
A prominent University of Alaska marine-conservation specialist appears to have lost a battle against changes in his working conditions that he had blamed on his institution's unwillingness to alienate the oil industry, which holds considerable sway in his state.
Richard Steiner, a professor of marine conservation at the university, had become a cause célèbre among some environmental groups after he accused the university of responding to his outspoken criticism of oil interests by denying him federal grant funds, subjecting him to harassment, and subsequently moving his office to punish him for filing a grievance about such matters in March.
In a harshly worded memorandum rejecting all of Mr. Steiner's claims, the university's general counsel, Roger Brunner, who had been designated by President Mark R. Hamilton to hear Mr. Steiner's final appeal, characterized the professor as having a history of unsuccessfully bringing complaints of violations of his academic freedom in efforts to gain an upper hand with his supervisors.
"In many regards, the current claims appear to be a continuation of Professor Steiner's attempt to free himself from supervision and to have the university create a different job for him which would be more to his liking," Mr. Brunner wrote in the memorandum, which noted that the grievance requested that the university establish a "permanent, autonomous faculty chair for environmental sustainability" on the professor's behalf.
In an interview on Tuesday, Mr. Steiner said Mr. Brunner's decision "looks like the end of the road" and he doubts he will choose to stay there given the circumstances he now finds himself in. "I have very few options here other than to leave the university, which I am likely to do very soon." [The Chronicle of Higher Education]
