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The abrupt dismissal of the head of a Utah cancer center is causing backlash from its faculty—and its major philanthropic funder—in a struggle over the center's autonomy from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. And nearly 2000 researchers have signed a petition calling on the university to reverse its decision.
For 11 years, prominent cell biologist Mary Beckerle has headed the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI), which is based at the university but receives its funding largely from philanthropic donations, revenue from its cancer hospital, and grants from state and from the National institutes of Health. In an email to some clinical staff on Monday, university President David Pershing and Vivian Lee, senior vice president for health sciences, announced that Beckerle would step down "effective yesterday," but would "remain on faculty as a distinguished professor in biology." Beckerle, who has not responded to Science's request for comment, told The Salt Lake Tribune that she had learned of her dismissal in an email less than an hour earlier.
Details have been scant from the university, which also did not respond to a comment request. But Beckerle's colleagues contend that the move amounts to a hostile takeover by the university aimed at capturing the cancer clinic's revenue, and other prominent scientists are rallying unquestioningly around her.
Also at Deseret News. Change.org petition. University of Utah Health press release.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday April 24 2017, @02:14PM (6 children)
Actually they seem to know science:
David W. Pershing, University President
1949 Born
1970 BS from Purdue University in chemical engineering
~1973? Doctorate at the University of Arizona, in environmental pollution?
Vivian Lee, Senior vice president for health sciences
1966 Born
1986 Harvard-Radcliffe College magna cum laude
Rhodes Scholarship to doctorate at University of Oxford in medical engineering
M.D. with honors from Harvard Medical School
Residency in diagnostic radiology at Duke University
2006 Master of Business Administration (MBA) at NYU's Stern School of Business
But Universities have some very special treatment when it comes to taxes so it can really pay to do business instead of science. Provided you have the administrative control..
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday April 24 2017, @02:33PM (5 children)
This may be a case which proves that psychopathy is not necessary debilitating for intelligence traits (s/he might be crazy and/or fool, but not stupid).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday April 24 2017, @02:50PM (4 children)
Maybe someone should run the "delayed gratification" test on them? ;-)
Don't touch the cookie until I'm back....
Any smart ideas on how to spot psychopaths?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday April 24 2017, @03:17PM
Use common sense; lacking it (as I had), one may use what an average person does nowadays: goto wikipedia [wikipedia.org].
Or hire a shrink [wikipedia.org] in your HR; make sure you check it's CV though, psychopathy is orthogonal with professionalism/qualifications.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday April 24 2017, @03:57PM (2 children)
Any smart ideas on how to spot psychopaths?
Look for people in positions of power. /s
The label is being abused here. I see no indication this isn't normal human behavior when someone gets enough power.
(Score: 2) by Geezer on Monday April 24 2017, @04:41PM (1 child)
That's because powerful people are normally psychopaths, or at least display sociopathic behavior as part of their power-acquisition toolkit. Psychopathy is the norm of power.
Name one Fortune 500 CEO or first-world head of state that can't be demonstrated conclusively to be a douchebag sociopath and I'll send you a case of your favorite cold ones. :)
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday April 25 2017, @04:09PM
Name one Fortune 500 CEO or first-world head of state that can't be demonstrated conclusively to be a douchebag sociopath and I'll send you a case of your favorite cold ones.
Well, who isn't a douchebag sociopath under those circumstances in the first place? We need a null hypothesis or we don't have a case to make.