UBC names investigator to probe 'serious allegations' against Steven Galloway

The University of British Columbia has hired a former judge to investigate "serious allegations" against Steven Galloway, the suspended chair of the creative writing program.

Mary Ellen Boyd, a former B.C. Supreme Court judge who now works at Vancouver dispute resolution firm Singleton Urquhart, will investigate the allegations.

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Annabel Lyon, the acting co-chair in the creative writing department, sent a memo to students on Thursday confirming that Boyd had been hired and an investigative process was underway.

She says the university is proceeding as expeditiously as possible.

The university announced on Nov.18 that Galloway had been suspended with pay pending an investigation into the allegations, which it called "serious" but did not disclose.

The acclaimed author of "The Cellist of Sarajevo" has not returned emails or calls requesting comment since the suspension was announced.