COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University Missouri Board of Curators voted 4-2 Wednesday to fire embattled professor Melissa Click for her actions last fall during the Concerned Student 1950 protests.
Chair of the board Pam Henrickson stated that after a month of investigation the board determined that Click had acted with conduct not reflective of the standards of the university.
“The circumstances surrounding Dr. Click’s behavior, both at a protest in October when she tried to interfere with police officers who were carrying out their duties, and at a rally in November, when she interfered with members of the media and students who were exercising their rights in a public space and called for intimidation against one of our students, we believe demands serious action,” Henrickson said at a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Henrickson also emphasized that the board believes they had conducted a fair, objective investigation surrounding the facts around the case, and noted multiple times that pressure from members of the Missouri Legislature had not factored into the board’s decision.
Regardless, members of the legislature were pleased with the decision. Columbia lawmakers Sen. Kurt Schaefer, Rep. Caleb Jones and Rep. Caleb Rowden voiced their approval of the board’s decision.
“I think it’s great,” Jones said. “It should have happened months ago.”
“It’s a step in the right direction in showing that the curators are taking some responsibility for what occurs on their campus,” Schaefer said.
“The UM Board made the right decision today,” said Rowden. “Any time a professor behaves in a way that is so contradictory to the mission of our University, there must be consequences. We have a long ways to go to fully regain the trust of the legislature and the general public, but this was a necessary step on that journey.”
Rep. Kip Kendrik, D-Columbia, was more deferential, warning against the dangers of what many Democrats saw as legislative “micro-managing.”
“As the constitutional governing body of the University of Missouri, I respect the authority of the Board of Curators have exercised in regard to Professor Click,” he said. “Not everyone will agree with their decision, but it ultimately was theirs to make.
“The events of recent weeks have also highlighted the dangers of the General Assembly attempting to micro-manage our public colleges and universities. The legislative role is to set overall policy and allocate financial resources, not to dictate the operational decisions of individual institutions.
Henrickson added that while no official university complaint had been filed to kickstart the investigative process, they had little choice but to begin an investigation of their own when the Columbia city prosecutor charged Click with third degree assault last semester.
“Once the local prosecutor charged [Click] with a crime against a student, the board felt it necessary to take action,” she said.
Henrickson was actually one of the two board members that voted not to fire Click; the other was John Phillips. Henrickson did not disclose the reason for her “no” vote, but emphasized that she supported the board’s decision.
Interim UM System President Mike Middleton agreed with the board’s findings.
“I think they handled it fairly, objectively,” he said. “They did an exhaustive investigation, and if you read the report, the report makes it clear: Prof. Click acted in an unacceptable way.”
Interim MU Chancellor Hank Foley noted that despite the unorthodox process that led to Click’s determination, ultimately, he believes the university came to the right decision.
“The process the Board of Curators used to reach a determination about Dr. Click’s employment at the university is not typical, but these have been extraordinary times in our university’s history, and I am in complete agreement with the board that the termination of Dr. Click is in the best interest of our university,” Foley said in his own statement. “Her actions in October and November are those that directly violate the core values of our university.”
