University of Missouri fires professor Melissa Click

The University of Missouri announced on Thursday the firing of Melissa Click, the assistant professor who faced nationwide backlash after a tense confrontation with a student during protests on campus last fall.

Click, who taught in the Department of Communication, attracted attention after she was caught on video calling for "muscle" to help her eject a student journalist from a protest site on campus last November as the university was embroiled in protests over the administration's handling of a series of racially-charged incidents.

She faced further scrutiny after the Columbia, Mo. Police Department  earlier this month released video from a separate protest on campus in which Click was involved. In the police video, Click can be seen cursing at a cop who is trying to clear a roadway on campus after Click and a group of student demonstrators locked arms to block a road during the university's homecoming parade.

The University of Missouri System Board of Curators said it voted 4-2 for the firing of Click. The board oversees the University of Missouri's flagship campus in Columbia, where Click taught, and three other campuses in the state.

"The board believes that Dr. Click’s conduct was not compatible with university policies and did not meet expectations for a university faculty member," said Pam Henrickson, president of University of Missouri system Board of Curators. "The circumstances surrounding Dr. Click’s behavior, both at a protest in October when she tried to interfere with police officers who were carrying out their duties, and at a rally in November, when she interfered with members of the media and students who were exercising their rights in a public space and called for intimidation against one of our students, we believe demands serious action. "

The troubles for Click, who declined to comment on Thursday, started after she was filmed having physical contact and berating a student journalist who was trying to conduct interviews at a campsite set up on campus by student protesters with the group Concerned Student 1950.

A video of the confrontation, which was taken by the student journalist Mark Schierbecker, begins with a group of protesters yelling and pushing another student journalist, Tim Tai, who was trying to photograph the campsite. At the end of the video, Schierbecker approaches Click, who calls for "some muscle" to remove him from the protest area. She then appears to grab at Schierbecker's camera.

Schierbecker applauded the Board of Curators decision but said he was disappointed that the university's faculty had not taken action against Click.

"I am embarrassed that the Board of Curators had to act because the faculty would not," Schierbecker said in a statement. "Click has not been totally forthcoming and has repeatedly denied that her actions represent a pattern."

Henrickson said Click has the right to appeal her firing, but has been removed from her post and is no longer being paid by the university. She said Click was offered no severance package.

The board provided Click with the findings of their investigation, and she had the opportunity to respond to their findings. But the university's faculty council said that the Board of Curators violated established protocol at the university that allows faculty members accused of misconduct a hearing before they are dismissed.

"When controversy arises, it is important to follow existing rules so that all involved are treated fairly," the faculty council said in a statement. "By creating a new process as it went along, the Board denied Professor Click the fair procedures that she, like all faculty, had been promised."

Hank Foley, the interim chancellor at the university, had initially resisted pressure from more than 100 state GOP lawmakers who began calling for the firing of Click in January. After the Columbia, Mo. city prosecutor announced  a misdemeanor assault charge against Click last month for the incident involving the student journalist, Foley said that he thought that Click should be allowed to go through the tenure process at the university. ( Days later, Click agreed to a deal with the prosecutor's office where the charge will be dismissed if she completes community service.)

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But after video from her October encounter with police emerged, Foley strongly rebuked Click.

"The process the Board of Curators used to reach a determination about Dr. Click’s employment at the university is not typical — but these have been extraordinary times in our university’s history, and I am in complete agreement with the board that the termination of Dr. Click is in the best interest of our university," Foley said on Thursday. "Her actions in October and November are those that directly violate the core values of our university."

Henrickson said that pressure from the state legislature to fire Click did not factor in the board's decision. The board placed Click on paid suspension on January 27 and announced it was launching an investigation of her actions. The decision to suspend the professor and launch an investigation came two days after the city prosecutor announced the misdemeanor charge against Click. The board's investigation was completed on Feb. 12.

"Of course, we were aware of the General Assembly's opinion, but the board did not take that into account in making the decision," Herickson said. "We strictly viewed the investigative report and looked at Dr. Click's behavior."

Click has apologized for her actions, which came at a tense moment on campus. On the day of her confrontation with the student journalist, the university system's president and the Columbia campus's chancellor announced their resignations after facing weeks from student protesters and their allies.

Journalists and onlookers descended on the campsite that the protesters established on the university's quad following the announcement of the resignations. Click and other backers of the protesters attempted to keep journalists away from the camp site.

In her written response to the curator's investigation, Click said that the Board's findings did "not accurately characterize the precarious environment of the Homecoming Parade." She also quoted students at the quad who described the press as "agitated" and Schierbecker as "disrespectful."

"I firmly believe that the report’s failure to characterize the environment of the Carnahan Quadrangle as a challenging and volatile environment excludes critical details for understanding the actions that took place on that day," Click wrote.

Follow USA TODAY Chicago correspondent Aamer Madhani on Twitter: @AamerISmad