The following message was sent to all faculty and other members of the campus community this afternoon.
Dear Colleagues:
As a faculty we are heavy hearted with the news that someone we hold in high esteem has been sanctioned by the National Institutes of Health for research misconduct. For many of us, we know how such things can happen and so we are slow to pass judgement, as we should be. At the same time, research and scholarship is the heart of this Research 1 university. As the flagship this is what sets us apart, makes us one of the top five public universities year after year, fuels economic growth in our state, and changes our world for the better. Our constituencies must have confidence in us, and we must have confidence in those who lead our research enterprise.
Over the last few days, faculty members from all over the University have contacted me about the current situation with our Vice Chancellor for Research, concerned that Vice Chancellor Magnuson has not stepped down from his position. As a faculty, we believe that this situation has the potential to taint our own scholarship and gives the impression that some members of our community are “untouchable” while for others such a situation would be a career-ender. Every hour, I have been hoping that an announcement would come so that I would not have to make this statement. But that has not happened and here we are. I do not know what is going on behind the scenes, but, having conferred with those who regularly advise me, I believe I must speak for the faculty on this issue.
To our Chancellor and Provost, please resolve this situation in the interests of the institution and out of respect to this faculty with all deliberate speed.
Sincerely,
Mimi
Mimi V. Chapman, MSW, PhD
Chair of the Faculty
Frank A. Daniels Distinguished Professor for Human Service Policy Information
Associate Dean for Doctoral Education
School of Social Work
