Robert Buckingham, until last week dean of public health at the University of Saskatchewan, publicly criticized the university’s restructuring plans designed to slice 25 million dollars from the budget by reducing jobs and combining faculties. He did so in an open letter he called “The Silence of the Deans.” Apparently, the president of the university had warned faculty against “badmouthing” the plan publicly and spelled out the consequences if they did.
Buckingham did so nevertheless. For that he expected to be reprimanded. But he was deprived of his tenure and fired, effective immediately. He was shepherded off the campus by two security guards.
This caused a global firestorm. Twenty-four hours later he was reinstated. His tenure was restored. But he was not given back his position as dean.
The university’s conduct in this affair suggests that it believed academic freedom applied to its academic, not its administrative sphere. In Robert Buckingham’s view, it applied to both.
Eric Koch’s new book, New Beginnings, was launched on September 20. The book is available from 
Resignation is, in many cases, the most effective expression of determined disagreement. With public support, reinstatement may follow and policy may even change or be modified
The university’s view of the limits of “academic freedom” was, of course, correct. The punishment and the means of carrying it out were wildly over the top, resulting in a grave self-inflicted wound to the institution.