The Canadian Association of University Teachers has set up a committee to investigate the recent firing of Ramesh Thakur as director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. Questions have been raised about what role the BlackBerry co-founder Jim Balsillie, who provided $33-million to establish the school, had in the dismissal. The faculty union sent letters to the presidents of the two universities saying that with more wealthy benefactors supporting higher education, it is important to ensure the academic integrity and autonomy of the projects backed by their donations. The investigation is headed by Len Findlay, an expert in academic freedom who will issue a report on September 1. Mr. Thakur, a former assistant secretary general of the United Nations, was vice rector of the United Nations University and head of the Peace Research Centre at the Australian National University before moving to Canada.