Missouri Board of Curators rejects professor Melissa Click’s appeal of firing

University of Missouri curators have rejected the appeal of Melissa Click, the assistant professor of communications who drew national attention when a video of her blocking student journalists during protests went viral.

The university announced Tuesday that its board had unanimously reached the decision on Click’s appeal of her firing on Monday during a closed session.

The release said the board found that Click’s appeal “brought no new relevant information” and that the matter was closed.

Click was fired after two videos surfaced of her behavior during student protests on campus. In one Click was caught calling for “muscle” to remove a student journalist attempting to record a public protest. In a second video Click clashed with Columbia police during a homecoming parade and was heard cursing at an officer.

Click has said in a previous statement that her dismissal was unfair and that normal, on-campus procedures weren’t followed. Members of the MU faculty have supported that claim, saying they wanted Click to go through the due process set out in the university’s policy.

In a statement Tuesday, Click said she was not surprised, “but I am certainly dissatisfied with the University of Missouri Board of Curators’ denial of my appeal and termination of my employment.”

She also said “I believe the Curators’ actions violate university policy and set a dangerous precedent. I maintain the belief that my actions should be fairly reviewed within the context of the volatile situations I encountered on October 10, 2015 and November 9, 2015, and within the context of 12 years of outstanding service to MU.”

Click said she will continue to “fight the board decision, supported by the American Association of University Professors, the UM System Intercampus Faculty Council, and MU’s Faculty Council.”

The AAUP, which represents about 50,000 university professors and staff in 500 chapters, last month urged University of Missouri interim chancellor Hank Foley to rehire Click because the university had not followed its own policies for due process in dealing with faculty and questions of misconduct.

AAUP has launched an investigation into the Click firing and is scheduled to be on the Columbia campus next week.

A spokesman for the curators, John Fougere, said Click’s pay ended Tuesday.

This story was originally published March 15, 2016 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Missouri Board of Curators rejects professor Melissa Click’s appeal of firing."