Ohio University unfairly scapegoated two computing officials when it fired them for not preventing a string of embarrassing computer-security breaches (The Chronicle, September 29), a panel of university administrators has argued.
The panel—a three-person committee convened by Ohio’s Administrative Senate—has recommended that Todd Acheson and Thomas Reid receive new jobs and formal apologies from William F. Sams, the university’s associate provost for information technology. The committee also said that Mr. Acheson and Mr. Reid, both former computer-systems administrators, should also receive back pay and benefits from the university, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Mr. Sams fired both employees after an independent auditor criticized their handling of Ohio’s spate of hacking incidents. But in its evaluation of the personnel move, the panel blamed Mr. Sams and other unnamed Ohio officials for the university’s computer-security meltdown.
Kathy Krendl, the university’s provost, will decided whether to accept or reject the committee’s recommendations. —Brock Read
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