PM [1]
Rank : Helper
Status : Super Owner
#1
Professor James Tooley, the vice-chancellor of University of Buckingham, has been suspended due to "serious allegations", including his relationship with a woman in India. According to The Telegraph, the allegations have been levelled by his estranged wife Cynthia, who also accused Professor Tooley of possessing a junior air rifle. The decision was announced in an email sent to almost 4,000 staff members and students in October, the outlet further said. However, as the issue started gaining traction, senior academics accused the university of suspending Professor Tooley over his "Right-wing" views.
He was suspended by Mark Qualter, chair of the university council, with immediate effect on October 11. Professor's estranged wife had claimed that the academician, now 65, was in a relationship with a woman in Hyderabad while working there in his fifties, as per The Telegraph report.
Professor Tooley held the position since 2020 and was known for his work helping to set up low-cost private schools, especially in developing countries, the BBC said in a report.
But other professors at the university accused the staff of seizing upon the allegations, as it gave them opportunity to oust him.
One professor told The Telegraph on condition of anonymity: "The paradox here is that this so-called free market university appears to be populated at its high levels with people who don't believe anything of the sort. And they particularly don't seem to believe in freedom of expression and freedom of speech."
The professor is a staunch free speech advocate who has spoken out publicly against the "cancel culture" he claimed had taken root across British campuses. He succeeded Sir Anthony Seldon as Buckingham's vice-chancellor in 2020.
The university has now set up an independent investigation panel to look into the issue. A meeting of the panel was held on Wednesday in which members raised concerns about how Professor Tooley was treated, according to The Telegraph.