Case closes on hearings

President Kelley approves allowing Mosher to continue teaching at UND.

UND President Robert Kelley has given official approval for French professor Sarah Mosher to continue working for the university.

He released his official statement on Monday. This will put Mosher back on track for promotion and potential tenure.

“I feel great,” Mosher said. “I’m so pleased with the president’s decision.”

The 2013-2014 school year will be Mosher’s sixth at UND. She will be reviewed at the end of the school year, just like all other non-tenured faculty members.

She’s currently an assistant professor, but her goal is to be promoted to an associate professor and eventually receive tenure.

“I have so many goals, hopes and dreams,” Mosher said. “I’m looking forward to putting all this behind me and giving 100 percent focus toward my career.”

The University Senate’s Standing Committee on Faculty Rights spent approximately 42 hours since early september going over Mosher’s case. She’s grateful for all the time they put in.

“I was very impressed with them,” Mosher’s attorney Leo Wilking said. “Their questions were very relevant and very direct. They played an important role in the outcome.”

Wilking said the committee and Kelley made the right decision regarding the case, but he also said civility should be a factor in cases like this, beside the usual three pillars of teaching, research and service.

“There should be room to consider collegiality,” Wilking said. “If you’re not civil, you can’t collaborate well with others and you can’t be a good teacher. I think (Mosher) is an excellent teacher, though.”

Mosher is also grateful for all the outside support she received via phone calls and email. UND students and faculty, plus others from around Grand Forks,  North Dakota and the country and the world have reached out to her.

“Nothing in grad school, or beyond prepares you to navigate a situation like this,” Mosher said.

Jaye Millspaugh is the multimedia editor of The Dakota Student. She can be reached at jaye.millspaugh.2@my.und.edu.