Professor sues claiming retaliation

EUGENE, Ore. – A former University of Oregon professor says she was forced out of her job for calling attention to financial irregularities in a graduate program and has sued the university, asking for more than $1 million.

Jean Stockard resigned as head of the planning, public policy and management department and retired from the university early after retaliation for being a whistle-blower, her suit says.

The Lane County Circuit Court suit names nine professors and administrators as defendants, the Register-Guard of Eugene reported in Sunday editions.

The paper said the university’s general counsel, Melinda Grier, did not return a call seeking comment, but the university said in a letter to Stockard last year that her dismissal as department head had no connection with her concerns about the graduate program and that her decision to report the problems was appropriate.