May 2025 update: two external investigations have been launched as a result of the information herein.
Months after I received a teaching award, Dr. Rik Tykwinski (new Department Chair) terminated my employment as an instructor at the University of Alberta. No notice. No wrongdoing by me. Tykwinski‘s move shocked everyone. Discovering that I was more than “just an instructor” and with many people demanding answers, Tykwinski began a campaign to decimate my character and career. The University of Alberta supported and empowered him in this, and covered up Tykwinski‘s wrongdoing.
This website details Tykwinski‘s and the University’s complete disregard of the Collective Agreement, University policies, provincial and federal statutes, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This website details how this wrongdoing has resulted in irreparable harm and psychological trauma to me and thousands of students.
This is the story of misconduct, collusion, cover-ups, and general abuse of power by University of Alberta administrators, and how their failures harmed one instructor and thousands of students. (image source: UAlberta)
(left) Dr. Rik Tykwinski (Department Chair)
(right) Dr. Steven Dew (Vice-President Academic)
New! An independent review found that two additional people were active in the University’s wrongdoing. A forthcoming post (link here) will detail their involvement.
(left) Kerrie Johnston (Associate Chair)
(right) Jeremy Wilhelm (UAlberta Human Resources)
- Tykwinski replaced two full-time instructors with seven part-time instructors
- Tykwinski gave critical teaching positions to the former students and sexual partners of research faculty; no job posting, no call for applications, no interviews; none of the new instructors had experience teaching large lecture classes; textbook patronage
- Tykwinski‘s hiring resulted in thousands of students receiving abysmal instruction
- Tykwinski‘s actions resulted in the University losing millions of dollars in tuition and grant revenue
- Tykwinski failed to inform me of a complaint and failing to investigate that complaint, but used that complaint as justification to summarily terminate me
- Tykwinski sent a defamatory email to the entire department (400+ people), and the University blacklisted me with other potential employers
- Tykwinski and UAlberta lied to the Academic Staff Association
- UAlberta failed to appoint an independent investigator to investigate Tykwinski; textbook bias and corruption
- UAlberta covered-up Tykwinski‘s wrongdoing
- UAlberta withheld requested records for years
- UAlberta repeatedly threatened legal action if I went public with this information; textbook reprisal
- UAlberta publicly committed to openness, fairness, and transparency regarding complaints against administrators, yet is doing exactly the opposite; textbook hypocrisy
- UAlberta admitting years later that there were no complaints, making all of Tykwinski‘s and UAlberta‘s actions defamatory
Additionally, it was discovered that, while the University pleads poverty and demands austerity from staff and departments, around 25 % of research faculty are receiving raises significantly above their Collective Agreement. The Collective Agreement provides annual increase from 2600 to 4000 $, with some receiving an additional 1300 to 2000 $ for merit. Yet hundreds of research faculty are getting raises above 6000 $. Tens to hundreds are receiving raises over 20,000 $. Several over 50,000 $. And a few over 100,000 $. Austerity doesn’t apply to research faculty salaries. (See the Failure analysis tab, and the Research faculty salaries and Slashing of instructor salaries posts.)
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.