VANCOUVER — A key player in a public battle about academic freedom at the University of British Columbia vows to remain chairman of the board of governors and says an outspoken critic should file a formal grievance.
John Montalbano responded Tuesday to allegations by Prof. Jennifer Berdahl involving the Aug. 7 resignation of former president Arvind Gupta.
Berdahl has accused Montalbano of trying to muzzle her. She wrote in a blog last week that Gupta, who she noted isn't a tall or physically imposing man, "lost the masculinity contest" among the university's leaders "as most women and minorities do at institutions dominated by men."
In a blog posted Monday, she said Montalbano criticized her for "embarrassing" UBC's governors.
"I have never in my life felt more institutional pressure to be silent," she wrote, though Montalbano has denied that he issued any kind of gag order.
The faculty association said in a statement that it has lost confidence in Montalbano because of his "apparent lack of understanding'' of academic freedom.
It noted the "serious weaknesses" in the governance of the university and the "apparent failure to manage significant and perceived high-risk personal conflicts of interest involving Mr. Montalbano."
Montalbano is chief executive officer of RBC Global Asset Management, which is the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada. In April 2014, the university announced that he provided $2 million in funding for Berdahl's gender and diversity professorship under his name at UBC's Sauder School of Business.
"At no time did I ask the professor to retract any of her blogs and at no time did I threaten her funding," Montalbano said in a written statement Tuesday. "In fact, I reinforced that her funding would continue. At no time did I intend to impinge her academic freedom."
Berdahl and the faculty association declined interviews.
Montalbano said it is important for an independent and objective process to determine the validity of Berdahl's allegations.
"The faculty association collective agreement includes a thoughtful, thorough grievance process and I welcome — in fact, I ask — the professor to engage in this process. I commit to fully engaging in the grievance process if and when the professor lodges a formal grievance request."
Gupta has not provided any explanation about why he resigned one year into a five-year term, and the university board has citing confidentiality in not offering any details.
"President Gupta was the first brown man to be UBC president," Berdahl wrote in a blog post, though she said she didn't know all the "ins and outs" of why he quit.
Gupta has said he will return to the university as a computer science professor.
