Biz journalism prof files suit against Columbia

Sylvia Nasar, a business journalism professor at Columbia University, has filed a lawsuit against the university for misdirecting funds in her professorship, reports Christine Haughney of the New York Times.

Haughney writes, “The suit, filed in State Supreme Court in New York, also claims that Nicholas Lemann, the dean of the journalism school, ‘intimidated and harassed’ Ms. Nasar for making complaints about the funds.

“Elizabeth Fishman, a spokeswoman for the journalism school, said in an email that “we don’t comment on matters in litigation.” Mr. Lemann was not immediately available for comment.

“The lawsuit comes at a time of transition for Columbia’s Journalism School, which on Monday named Steve Coll its new dean. He succeeds Mr. Lemann, who led the school through a turbulent decade as journalism underwent fundamental shifts. Mr. Lemann announced last fall that he planned to step down by the end of the academic year.

“According to the 27-page complaint, the journalism school created a professorship called the Knight chair in 1998, with a $1.5 million grant from the Knight Foundation, a nonprofit organization that seeks to support quality journalism. Columbia was expected to match the grant.

“Terms of the agreement called for Columbia to pay the professorship’s salary on its own, and use Knight Foundation funds for additional salary and benefits, like research.”

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