Faculty asks regents to reconsider prof’s dismissal

The Faculty Senate passed a resolution Monday asking the UW System Board of Regents to reconsider its dismissal of John Marder from the UW-Superior faculty.

The senate without negative vote approved the resolution after a 90-minute debate over whether the senate should take a position in the case while it is still in litigation.

The University Committee had sought a resolution that condemned any action that undermines tenure and academic freedom, but made no mention of the Marder case.

“We are not in a position to be able to pass judgment on the process or procedures that were used in this case,” UC Chair Pat Wolleat says.

But the resolution was amended to include specific language questioning the way in which the Board of Regents handled the case.

“We have serious questions about whether the Board of Regents remained true to the requirements of academic due process and to the generally understood just-cause standard before deciding to dismiss Professor John Marder,” the amendment reads.

UW-Superior Chancellor Julius Erlenbach first sought Marder’s dismissal in 1999. Erlenbach cited several allegations from students, faculty and staff of unprofessional and uncollegial conduct. A UW-Superior faculty committee agreed Marder’s actions were inappropriate, but recommended against his dismissal.

Erlenbach overruled the committee and asked the Board of Regents to make a final decision on the matter. A Board of Regents committee twice recommended against Marder’s dismissal, saying there was not sufficient evidence. But on an 11-3 vote, the full board confirmed the chancellor’s recommendations and affirmed the firing.

“Erlenbach has at all times acted according to the highest professional standards, solely with the interests of his campus and its students in mind,” the Board of Regents said in a resolution supporting the chancellor’s decision.

Marder has filed a lawsuit, which is currently pending in the Douglass County Circuit Court.

The resolution passed by the senate also instructs the University Committee to review the dismissal standard that the Board of Regents used in the Marder case and to report its findings to the Faculty Senate in December.