The University of St. Gallen is reacting to the allegations against two of its professors and is immediately suspending them. It is also setting up another contact point for whistleblowers.
The University of St. Gallen is also forming a committee to “promote cultural change”.
The allegations are serious. A professor at the University of St. Gallen is said to have copied most of his habilitation and dissertation. He is also said to have copied or copied expert opinions for doctoral theses that he supervised. The doctorates awarded by him could be worthless.
The focus is also on another professor of the institute where the professor concerned is employed. He is said to have accepted the controversial habilitation. In addition, he not only put himself in front of the lecturers to protect them when students reported possible misconduct, but in return accused the students of “significant irregularities”.
“Possible threat of frustration”
Now those responsible at the university have reacted. The President of the University Council, the St. Gallen Director of Education Stefan Kölliker, has temporarily released the two professors at the request of the Rector of the University, Bernhard Ehrenzeller. According to a press release, the exemptions remain in effect until definitive measures are ordered.
The exemptions were granted due to the “consolidating suspicion of significant violations of scientific integrity and a possible risk of being thwarted”. Furthermore, the undisturbed clarification of the affair should be guaranteed. Thomas Friedli is entrusted with the interim management of the institute with immediate effect; Friedli is an honorary professor of business administration at the HSG.
cleaning action
The university is also forming a committee to “promote cultural change”. This committee comprises the President of the University Council, the incumbent and the future Rector of the University of St. Gallen. The incumbent Rector Bernhard Ehrenzeller will step down properly at the end of January 2024. The selection process for his successor is already underway and will be completed soon, as Education Director Kölliker said when asked by the NZZ.
The university also wants to set up an external contact point for whistleblowers that will report directly to the committee. The function will be performed by an independent lawyer from outside the canton and is limited until the end of March 2023. The established registration offices are not affected.
The committee and reporting office form the core of a “disclosure campaign”, as the media release states. The aim is to “identify” and “clean up” challenging issues within the HSG.
This could mean turbulent months for the university. According to insiders, any grievances are not uncovered mainly because the hurdle for whistleblowers is too high. The students would not get to the internal registration offices because they were afraid of the consequences. With the external reporting office, this hurdle is removed.