The University of Missouri (MU) has decided not to filll a management post for the time being in the College of Education Department after suspicions over one of the finalist's military details.

Students and faculty protested against Larry James, who served as a military psychologist at the detention centers in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and Abu Ghraib and Iraq, alleging his involvement in torture, which he denies.

As a result, Daniel L. Clay, dean of MU, has decided not to fill the position as of now.

The other finalist selected for division executive director post is Matthew Burns, a faculty member of the University Of Minnesota Department Of Educational Psychology.

"We encouraged faculty, staff, students and community members to provide input on both candidates. We valued and respected opinions of stakeholders and gave those opinions serious consideration," Barb Peterson, director of strategic communications for the College of Education, told Columbia Tribune.

Peterson said that at present neither of the individuals is the right person.

In the meantime, Michael Pullis will serve as the interim division executive director, once John Wedman retires Feb. 28.

He will continue to serve in this role until a person has been selected to fill the role permanently.

The university does not have a fixed time frame to fill up the position.

Background Details:

James worked as a chief psychologist at Guantanamo Bay, 2003 and the director of the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center at Abu Ghraib, 2004.

He also led the Guantanamo Behavioral Science Consultation Team, 2007-08, comprised of a group of mental health professionals who provided advice to interrogators at the detention centers.

During this period, Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic accused James and the consultation team for creating a favorable atmosphere that encouraged prisoner breakdowns.

Currently, James is the dean of the School of Professional Psychology at Wright State University, Dayton and is credited with reducing departmental debt at the University.