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Former Gov. Bill Owens said in a deposition it's a good thing the University of Colorado ignored him when he urged that professor Ward Churchill be fired over a controversial essay. "I'm glad that the university, its counsel, and others who had a chance over a period of years to look at the law and look at the case didn't follow my advice and, in fact, chose to ignore it," Owens said in the deposition, taken one week ago today. Had CU fired Churchill for the essay - as Owens wanted - the school would have violated Churchill's free-speech rights,...

Professor Suing To Get Legal Fees from CU. A judge Wednesday refused to stop dismissal proceedings against a University of Colorado professor accused of research misconduct after he filed a lawsuit seeking $20,000 in legal fees from the school. Denver District Judge Stephen Phillips agreed with university attorney Patrick O'Rourke who argued that ethnic studies professor Ward Churchill would still be able to seek attorneys' fees and lost wages if he successfully fights to keep his job. Churchill has denied the allegations and is appealing a recommendation by university officials that he be fired. Churchill's attorney, David Lane, asked Phillips...

Professor's fate may not be decided until well into next year. The University of Colorado's efforts to fire Ward Churchill are on hold because of a dispute over whether the university has to come up with $20,000 in state funds for the professor's defense. Churchill's attorney, David Lane, said a lawsuit to get the money could be filed by next week. Meantime, there's been no progress on Churchill's appeal since August, and it could be well into 2007 before a final decision on his fate is made. CU spokeswoman Michele McKinney said the delay is outside of the administration's control....

An expert on academic freedom said Tuesday the University of Colorado should be held to a high standard of proof if it tries to punish an embattled professor on allegations of plagiarism. A faculty committee is investigating research misconduct charges against Ward Churchill, a tenured professor of ethnic studies who first came under fire for likening Sept. 11 victims to an infamous Nazi. "The burden of proof should be a very high standard," said Jonathan Knight, director of academic freedom and tenure programs for the American Association of University Professors. Churchill has confirmed that a subcommittee of the university's Standing...

The University of Colorado student union voted Thursday in support of firing tenured ethnic studies professor Ward Churchill. The union's legislative council voted 9-6 in favor of a resolution supporting former Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano's recommendation to fire Churchill for plagiarism and research misconduct. The resolution will be sent to the student government's tri-executives and will go into effect if two of the three student leaders sign it. "This is not a problem that is attached to the entire ethnic studies department — just a not-so-good professor and he doesn't deserve to be employed here," ... "He takes away from...

University of Colorado at Boulder Interim Chancellor Phill DiStefano today issued a notice of intent to dismiss for cause to Professor Ward Churchill. His recommendation follows a CU-Boulder investigation into allegations of research misconduct by Churchill.

Ward Churchill, the pugnacious professor of ethnic studies, insists that scholars who rebuked him for falsification, fabrication and plagiarism just don't understand his discipline. Churchill is, of course, the University of Colorado professor whose misconduct was "deliberate and not a matter of an occasional careless error," a CU investigative panel has concluded. The panel also condemned Churchill for "serious deviation" from accepted research practices. In turn, Churchill and his righteous entourage insist that he's been targeted because of his "alternative historical perspective." Churchill complains that "individuals knowledgeable in my discipline" were excluded from the panel and that he had to...