Before the internet and the age of the continuous news cycle, putting out bad news late on a Friday afternoon was a fairly effective organizational news management strategy. That’s no longer the case, but the University of Minnesota hasn’t gotten the memo. In an effort to bypass the continuous news cycle, Karen Himle, the University’s vice president for university relations, issued a half-assed apology for censoring Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story, without informing the documentary’s producers or funding agencies. But apparently after considering academic freedom repercussions “I am sorry for this mistake, and I accept responsibility for my decisions and actions in this matter,” writes Himle in the University’s statement from President Robert Bruininks with regard to the matter.
The apology is half-assed because Himle apologizes only for “... not immediately initiating a process that more broadly engaged academic leadership and other university experts to fully evaluate the options and to then make a shared decision as to the best course of action…” And we don’t know the entirety her decisions and actions are with regard to this episode of the University’s censorship, conflict of interest, and stifling academic freedom.
Bruininks expresses similar regret about not convening a group to reach a consensus about any necessary action with regard to the film and maintains that academic freedom is paramount in the lede of his statement: “One of the hallmarks of my 40-plus years at the university is a steadfast commitment to academic freedom. This value is the cornerstone of all great American universities. I have defended academic freedom at many levels throughout my career.”
Bruininks’s statement comes, not unsurprisingly nor coincidentally, with the University’s release of internal email in response to media requests under the Minnesota Data Practices Act.
And in that pile of email lies the smoking gun: Bruininks had prior knowledge of Himle’s act of censoring the film, stifling academic freedom. Contrary to previous statements, Bruininks was very much in the loop from the get go, making his most recent media release mere hollow lipservice.
Alex Freidrich and Bill Wareham, writing for On Campus, Minnesota Public Radio’s higher education blog, reports an email exchange between Al Levine, dean of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences and Susan Weller, director of the Bell Museum, both units of the University of Minnesota. In the email exchange, Levine writes to Weller, “Karen Himle viewed the documentary and called TPT to cancel it—the President [sic] is aware of this.” Bruininks also knew of Himle’s conflict of interest, as it was disclosed by Briana Bierschbach writing for the Minnesota Daily on 22 November 2009. And this isn’t the first time that Himle has censored media and stifled academic freedom as a possible result of a conflict of interest during her tenure at the University.
Clearly there needs to be an independent investigation at the University. But not an investigation of Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story. Rather, an immediate independent investigation must take place of University President Robert Bruininks and Karen Himle, his vice president of university affairs. University alum and faculty member Bill Gleason called for as much in his 10 October 2001 op-ed for the Star Tribune even before Bruininks’s involvement was disclosed.
Disclosure notice: My potential conflicts of interest are clearly listed in the “Disclosure box” sidebar. To be absolutely clear: I have been employed by the University of Minnesota’s College of Design as senior editor/ecommunications manager since 25 July 2006.
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