Ward Churchill Decision July 24, Vote By CU Regents

Step #34518297 in the interminable saga of Ward Churchill's firing--CU Regents to decide the professor's fate July 24:

The University of Colorado regents have scheduled a July 24 hearing to decide whether embattled professor Ward Churchill will be fired — ending a chapter in a 2½-year saga that has sparked a nationwide debate over tenure, academic freedom and scholarly misconduct.

The Board of Regents is scheduled to hear Churchill's case behind closed doors, but the elected leaders will vote in public on whether to fire the tenured professor, said Michele McKinney, university system spokeswoman.

Churchill's attorney, David Lane, has said the hearing should be public. But confidentiality rules governing dismissal-for-cause cases — which were drawn up by faculty members and adopted by the regents — call for the hearing to be held in private, McKinney said. The regents will meet in public in the University Memorial Center at 8 a.m. on the day of the hearing so they can vote to go into executive session.

While behind closed doors, the regents will hear from attorneys representing Churchill, the university and a faculty panel that reviewed the academic-misconduct case. All three parties will have about one hour to arguetheir cases, according to the university.

"The regents can ask questions, but no new evidence will be presented," McKinney said.

The board is expected to meet again in public session at about 4 p.m., or later, to vote on Churchill's employment.

Even this last step in the initial firing has its own multi-stage process (courtesy of PirateBallerina).

One thing is for certain, there will be loud shouts of relief and anger depending upon which route the CU Regents finally vote in favor of regarding the academic misadventures of Churchill.

So, whaddya think are the odds? I say 3/2 for Churchill's firing, but who knows.