This is also the sort of allegation that the defendant UM could really regret should the allegations in the complaint pan out. Institutes and foundations are really picky about how their grant money is used, so if this is true defendant UM might find itself in a bad light.

I do know, however, that the attitude of UM’s upper administration stated in the lawsuit about academics and money is correct. They really don’t “give a rat’s ass” about academics—except for the recognition that it brings to the university and it’s image; they just care about the money. Also, anyone who doesn’t play the good ole boy game there is treated exactly the way that was represented in the lawsuit. I do know that much is true.

The former chairman of the University of Mississippi Department of Pharmacology has filed a lawsuit against the dean of the pharmacy school at along with several others in the pharmacy and research departments at UM.

Robert C. Speth, now a professor of pharmacology and research professor at the NM Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, filed the suit Dec. 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi in Oxford.

In the lawsuit, Speth claims the university and the individuals listed in the lawsuit made his life “miserable” after he alerted department heads of a possible misuse of grant funds.

“UM, through the individual defendants, reacted by denying any misuse of funds, by failing to stop the misuse, by covering up the misuse and by engaging in a series of retaliatory acts against (Speth), designed to humiliate him, to make life miserable for him, to punish him for his actions and to set him up for termination,” the lawsuit claims.

Speth claims that after he notified the defendants of these actions, he received negative employment reviews and was dismissed as the chairman of the pharmacology department.

In 2006, Speth helped to secure an $11 million grant from the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence to be used for specific purposes authorized in the grant.
In 2007, Speth claims he discovered some of the grant funds were not being used for those authorized purposes and brought it to the university’s attention. Speth claims he discovered the grant funds were being used for research work unrelated to the authorized purpose and to pay individuals who were working on projects not authorized under the grant.

The other defendants listed in the lawsuit are: Robin C. Buchanon, assistance vice chancellor of research; Beverly M. Butts, senior business manager of the pharmacy school; Alice M. Clark, vice chancellor for research; Charles D. Hufford, assistant dean for research for the pharmacy school; Nina L. Jones, director of accounting; Thomas W. Lombardo, director of research, integrity and compliance; Anthony J. Verlangieri, interim chairman for the pharmacology department; and Barbara Wells, dean of the pharmacy school.

Speth is suing for loss of wages, to be reinstated as the chairman of the pharmacology department, to be re-appointed “principal investigator” for the grant and for a 5 percent raise.

The university’s attorney Lee Tyner, could not be reached for comment.

The university has 20 days to file a response to Speth’s complaint.

That link about news coverage leads to a story about someone’s outdoor Christmas decorations.