Wow. Acclaimed researcher Mary Beckerle fired as CEO and Director of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. After 11 years. With no reason given. By email.
Huge backlash that is rumbling throughout every political avenue at the U. And no one is being muted or restrained on this issue.
Family patriarch Jon Huntsman Sr. called it a "power grab" by Sr VP Vivian Lee. He said Tuesday he would not accept the change, adding that he'll make sure Beckerle is back in charge "one way or another." His wife, Karen Huntsman, called the move "a hostile takeover. ... This is just the beginning, the war."
And here is the faculty and staff:
And very poor handling on the entire situation by the U's Ed Clark, chairman of University of Utah Health Care's pediatrics department, who was picked to come out and face the pitchforks. He started out by saying smugly to the crowd that yes indeed, change is hard for some people to deal with, and ended up calling the protestors "children."
Bruce Edgar, UU oncological professor: "How do you expect to be able to recruit a world-class cancer center director after firing the best one in the country? And doing it by a coup mechanism worse than what we saw this week in Turkey?"
No matter how many online petitions are filled out, and how many angry press interviews are given by the Huntsman guy in charge of the Huntsman Foundation, Beckerle is gone. Word rippled through the national cancer research community, and administrators all over the country if not the world are sharpening their pencils with offers for her, now that they know she is available. There is no way she will want to stay with Utah.
I had a conversation about 6 months ago about something at the U, and in passing, the guy remarked that he had never seen such a lust for power as he did in Vivian Lee. He didn't mean it in a negative way back then, but I bet he is singing a different tune today.
Come to the HCI, cancer researchers! Here you will find the best facilities in the world, and spend half of your time politicking to make sure you don't lose your job!
The Huntsmans own the bully pulpit on this (The Trib) and they are going to town. Who pisses off one of the largest donors in the world? Who alienates the family that gave the HCI almost no interference save the instruction to "cure cancer?" Who broke 25 years worth of agreements between the Huntsman Family and the University of Utah?
Huge backlash that is rumbling throughout every political avenue at the U. And no one is being muted or restrained on this issue.
Family patriarch Jon Huntsman Sr. called it a "power grab" by Sr VP Vivian Lee. He said Tuesday he would not accept the change, adding that he'll make sure Beckerle is back in charge "one way or another." His wife, Karen Huntsman, called the move "a hostile takeover. ... This is just the beginning, the war."
And here is the faculty and staff:
And very poor handling on the entire situation by the U's Ed Clark, chairman of University of Utah Health Care's pediatrics department, who was picked to come out and face the pitchforks. He started out by saying smugly to the crowd that yes indeed, change is hard for some people to deal with, and ended up calling the protestors "children."
Bruce Edgar, UU oncological professor: "How do you expect to be able to recruit a world-class cancer center director after firing the best one in the country? And doing it by a coup mechanism worse than what we saw this week in Turkey?"
No matter how many online petitions are filled out, and how many angry press interviews are given by the Huntsman guy in charge of the Huntsman Foundation, Beckerle is gone. Word rippled through the national cancer research community, and administrators all over the country if not the world are sharpening their pencils with offers for her, now that they know she is available. There is no way she will want to stay with Utah.
I had a conversation about 6 months ago about something at the U, and in passing, the guy remarked that he had never seen such a lust for power as he did in Vivian Lee. He didn't mean it in a negative way back then, but I bet he is singing a different tune today.
Come to the HCI, cancer researchers! Here you will find the best facilities in the world, and spend half of your time politicking to make sure you don't lose your job!
The Huntsmans own the bully pulpit on this (The Trib) and they are going to town. Who pisses off one of the largest donors in the world? Who alienates the family that gave the HCI almost no interference save the instruction to "cure cancer?" Who broke 25 years worth of agreements between the Huntsman Family and the University of Utah?
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