Disciplinary Review May Cost Huttenback His Professorship

A disciplinary review of former UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Robert Huttenback, convicted of embezzling campus funds, could lead to dismissal from the university, a spokesman said Tuesday.

“The campus will be proceeding with all deliberate speed in going with this review process,” UCSB spokesman David Salisbury said. “But at the same, we want to do everything in a legal and proper fashion.”

Huttenback, 60, and his wife Freda, were convicted in July of spending an estimated $250,000 in university money on improvements to their home. The former chancellor, who holds an academic position of full professor, was also convicted of tax evasion.

Each was sentenced on Sept. 7 to five years’ probation and combined fines of $70,300. Additionally, Huttenback was ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service.

A day after the sentence hearing, the university announced that Huttenback had been suspended with pay of $6,750 a month pending the outcome of the disciplinary review.

“A formal process exists for faculty discipline,” UCSB Chancellor Barbara Uehling said in a statement issued last week.

‘Appropriate Sanction’

“This process was invoked in order to determine whether Professor Huttenback’s conviction constitutes a violation of the Faculty Code of Conduct and, if so, what the appropriate sanction ought to be,” Uehling said.

The conduct code specifies four possible disciplinary actions, Salisbury said.

The least harsh would be a written censure, “basically a letter in his file saying, ‘You’ve done wrong,’ ” Salisbury said.

More severe punishments include temporary suspension, demotion and finally dismissal, he said. There are no provisions for fines.

“It’s an extraordinary process for the campus and the university,” the spokesman said. “It’s extremely rare that this type of situation comes about. We don’t have that much experience to fall back on.”

The review begins with an Academic Senate panel investigation. If the group finds probable cause that Huttenback violated the faculty code, the Committee on Privilege and Tenure will conduct a hearing and make recommendations to Uehling, who will have final authority over what to do.