Former U of C dean fired from post as B.C. university president

By Noah Miller

A former dean from the University of Calgary was sacked as president of Thompson Rivers University after only one year. Serving just the first year of a five-year term at the Kamloops, B.C. university, Kathleen Scherf, former dean of Communication & Culture at the U of C, was fired by TRU’s board of governors Monday.

The board released no specifics, relating only that they had “lost confidence in her skill as president, her leadership skills and judgment,” according to a Kamloops Daily News report.

Chairman of the board Ron Olynyk said their decision was the result of a three-month review of Scherf’s presidency.

The early farewell grants Scherf just shy of $170,000 in severance, as well as retention of her tenure as a professor at TRU with no obligation to teach or to find other employment after the upcoming year, during which she is considered on leave.

Sherf, known for her unique flair, defended her performance noting accomplishments from her year as president. During her term, fundraising saw significant increases and a new law school at TRU was created in partnership with the U of C.

The news report quoted Olynyk as stating that it was not Scherf’s demeanor that was the board’s issue, but rather “her role and substance as president.”

TRU’s previous decade-long president Roger Barnsley will return as an interm until a replacement is found.

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