Weekly Briefing: Why Was This Prominent Scholar Fired? She and Her College Won't Say.

Investigators recommended that she attend management training, not be terminated. What happened? ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. Why was this prominent scholar fired? She and her institution are staying quiet. Last month, Patricia Nelson Limerick, (above) a scholar of the American West and co-founder of the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Center for the American West, was fired from her role as the center’s faculty director. Though an investigative report — which was released through a public-records request — has drawn speculation about her firing, neither Limerick nor the university will say what happened. Now the university is under fire for ousting Limerick without explanation. All five members of the center’s executive committee resigned in protest. In a university statement, officials said that the move comes after “repeat complaints from center employees regarding leadership of the center.” Limerick is still at the university as a tenured professor of history, and she has retained two employment lawyers. She has yet to take any legal action. In an interview with The Chronicle, Limerick said she was called into a meeting with Glen Krutz, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the university’s legal counsel and a human-resources representative. Krutz handed Limerick a letter and asked her to read it in a room next door, she said. In the letter, she was asked to resign in the next 24 hours, or she would be fired, she said. The letter also made statements justifying the decision, but Limerick would not share those details, saying they were “unsubstantiated and never investigated.” Limerick did say that the statements echoed the internal investigative report on the center, which was released a week later. The next day, Limerick said she wouldn’t resign, and Krutz, with no explanation, announced her departure from the center to the College of Arts and Sciences. A week later, [The Colorado Sun]( obtained the 12-page report on the investigation into Limerick’s leadership. The investigation looked into allegations of unfair treatment of staff members and potential fiscal misconduct. Investigators had interviewed Limerick and staff members who worked under her and found no evidence of fiscal misconduct, the Sun reported. They did find that some employees spent time — in some cases as little as 15 minutes — on personal tasks for Limerick and called her relationships with staff members “fractured.” The report recommended that Limerick go through leadership and management training; it did not recommend that she be terminated. [Read our Marcela Rodrigues-Sherley’s story here.]( ADVERTISEMENT Lagniappe. - Learn. What to do when you find out you[have only months to live](. (The Boston Globe) - Read. Do you ever read stories and wonder: How is this real? [Here’s one]( In Canada, a developer sold pre-construction townhouses for $400,000. Three years later, the developers told buyers they had to pay $100,000 or lose their homes. (Toronto Life) - Listen. [This radio show]( plays country and reggae music from the Caribbean and across Africa. I tried and failed to find these songs on Spotify. It’s a nice reminder of why the radio can be so great. Discovery, who knew! (NTS Radio) — Fernanda SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Chronicle Top Reads THE DEBATE OVER RIGOR [What Does It Mean When Students Can’t Pass Your Course?]( By Beckie Supiano [STORY IMAGE]( The case of an NYU organic-chemistry professor centers on one of teaching’s thorny questions. LEADERSHIP [Republican Senator Ben Sasse Emerges as Likely New President of U. of Florida]( By Megan Zahneis [STORY IMAGE]( The Republican senator from Nebraska is well known in Washington and beyond for his outspoken views on higher education. EMERGENCY-RELIEF FUNDS [How Students Spent More Than $30 Billion in Federal Covid Aid]( By Adrienne Lu [STORY IMAGE]( The money helped students pay for food, books, and housing and, ultimately, helped reduce their stress and let them focus on their studies. ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [Building a Faculty That Flourishes]( [Building a Faculty That Flourishes]( Colleges and universities cannot be successful without vibrant and engaged faculties. Now is the time to figure out sustainable ways to recruit, support, and diversify the faculty. [Order your copy today.]( NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2022 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037