BU provost, journalism chairman at odds over dean inquiry

Boston University's provost and the chairman of its journalism department faculty are at odds over how to proceed with an inquiry into whether John J. Schulz, dean of the College of Communication, has exaggerated his accomplishments.

The journalism faculty voted last week to ask Provost David Campbell to investigate questions about Schulz, after a story in the Globe revealed a misstatement on his resume and several other erroneous or misleading assertions about him that have appeared in print. Many of the allegations were initially raised by Professor Renata Adler.

But Campbell responded, in an e-mail to faculty Tuesday, that the request was not sufficient, and that professors needed to enumerate the allegations and the basis for them.

Campbell also wrote that ''allegations should be restricted to matters pertaining to academic misconduct," and noted that he was following BU's policy on ''misconduct in scholarship and research." He also said the allegations should exclude ''questions of managerial style." Some professors have said that Schulz is bullying and self-aggrandizing.

In his response, e-mailed Wednesday, outgoing department chairman Robert Zelnick wrote, ''I am shocked that you are taking so constricted a view of your authority in a matter involving the integrity of a dean, and of the university itself."

Zelnick acknowledged that the allegations that have been made do not involve Schulz's research and scholarship.

Both e-mails were obtained by the Globe. Campbell could not be reached yesterday, and Zelnick declined to elaborate on his e-mail.

BU spokesman Stephen Burgay said that the e-mail from Campbell to faculty does not mean no investigation will be conducted. Rather, he said, Campbell plans to conduct an inquiry, but first he needs to determine the scope of it. Schulz himself has requested an investigation.

Schulz wrote on his resume that his dissertation was one of only two approved by social studies faculty at the University of Oxford in 1981, out of 19 that were presented for approval. In fact, 30 students in social studies received doctorates that year.

Schulz said that he had meant to specify international relations and that the number 19 was a typo. But Oxford awarded eight doctorates in international relations that year, according to records on the university's website.

In addition, a biography of Schulz on the university's website described him as having covered the Soviet War in Afghanistan, even though he reported from Islamabad and never visited Afghanistan. Schulz said he did not mean to mislead and has changed the wording since last week.

He also failed to correct the BU student newspaper on two occasions, when it reported that he was the author of several books and was an All-American athlete. Neither statement was true.

Zelnick suggested that a broad statement requesting an investigation was as much as the whole department could agree on at its emergency meeting last Friday. ''We knew our faculty included strong supporters of the dean as well as many who would applaud his resignation," he wrote.

Zelnick said the journalism faculty adopted the resolution with only one dissenting vote, by a professor who preferred an immediate demand for Schulz's resignation.

Bombardieri can be reached at bombardieri@globe.com.