John M. Huntsman Sr., the billionaire philanthropist who helped found the University of Utah's Huntsman Cancer Institute, announced Monday he intends to publish a "two-page spread" in Salt Lake City's two newspapers detailing the institute's financial operations for the past twenty-plus years, the Desert News reports.
The decision comes just weeks after Mary Beckerle, PhD, director and CEO of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, was fired over email. Dr. Beckerle, who has directed the cancer center for 11 years, said no reason was given for her termination.
Mr. Huntsman openly criticized Vivian Lee, MD, PhD, former senior vice president for health sciences, medical school dean and CEO of University of Utah Health Care in Salt Lake City, and David Pershing, PhD, University President, for Dr. Beckerle's removal, calling it a "power grab" and threatened to file "many lawsuits," according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Many faculty of the institute and university petitioned for Dr. Beckerle to be reinstated, and she was given her job back April 25. Dr. Lee stepped down April 28 and Dr. Pershing said he would hasten his retirement.
"We now have assembled, and it will be assembled in another two or three days, a complete accountability [report] for the last 22 to 23 years, showing what has happened there, what we have obtained, why we are regarded as one of the four or five leading cancer research centers in the world," Mr. Huntsman said, according to the Desert News. "It's truly Utah's crown jewel on the hill."
The decision comes following criticism "by different people who don't seem to understand who owns [Huntsman Cancer Institute] or they don't seem to understand what the family's done and what many, many great donors have done," Mr. Huntsman said.
The accounting information will include "complete returns — I don't just mean our returns, these are from the IRS, our statements every year — it's how we have spent their money, [that] the legislature, the University of Utah, the citizens will be very proud and very pleased, very honored. I just want to put everybody's mind at rest we're all doing just great. The institute's going to keep around for a lot of years," he said, according to the report. It will also include information on how the institute has been able to pay researchers, grants it has received and state funds.
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