Dear Dr. Seligman:

Thank you for your letter of January 18 and your patience while we fulfilled our obligations under Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

I will answer your questions in the order in which they were put.

The University of Alberta has not attempted to silence Dr. Pagliaro. We have asked him, in the name of scholarship integrity, to be clear with the media as to whether he is offering opinion or presenting the results of replicable research.

The University did not charge Professor Pagliaro with research conduct violations. The University received a complaint, actually several complaints, about Professor Pagliaro's behaviours. The University is attempting, through the investigation, to determine the veracity of the complaints. At the heart of the investigation is the question of whether Dr. Pagliaro presented his opinions as expert opinion or as the results of this research.

Professor Dixon's report presented no evidence on the question of Dr. Pagliaro's clarity respecting the basis of his comments….expert opinion or research findings. Dr. Dixon has been asked to determine the evidence on this point.

I trust these answers will be satisfactory to you.

Yours truly,
Doug Owram
Vice-President (Academic) and Provost