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Eyeing Hawley candidacy, Schaaf requests tenure info from UM System

Columbia, Mo. —After reading recent coverage of the latest scandal at the University of Missouri state senator Rob Schaaf has some questions about The University of Missouri’s tenure policy and how it impacts employees potentially seeking higher office, and he’s asking the university to provide him with more details.

In a letter dated July 21 and addressed to both UM-Columbia Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin and UM System General Counsel Stephen Owen, Schaaf requests for a host of documents and information, in some cases going back several years.

The letter, obtained by The Missouri Times, asks for “all emails and documents” Owens’ office may have related to any tenure or leaves of absence in the last 3 years, the number of UM professors teaching in the classroom during the 2014-2015 school year, along with a long list of information about scheduling.

It’s the final part of the request that appears to link Schaaf’s request direclty with the recent announcement by associate Professor of Law, Josh Hawley, that he’s seeking the Republican nomination for Attorney General.

“Please provide a list of university employees over the last 10 years who were told they must quit or resign their position if they were to run for public office?” Schaaf’s letter reads.

The letter also requests that a copy of it and any responses produced by the university be forwarded to each member of the Board of Curators for their consideration.

Some have expressed concerns that Hawley, who recently became eligible for tenure, would be running for public office while collecting benefits related to tenure from the university. Owens did not return calls from The Missouri Times about questions relating to tenure, and Loftin’s office declined to discuss the matter, citing policies against discussing “personnel matters.”