Canadian university passes on $60 million

York University in Toronto decided not to accept $60 million to establish an international law school because too many strings were attached, officials said. By a 34-7 vote with eight abstentions, the law faculty council voted against the proposed donation Monday, the National Post reported. Earlier this year, Jim Balsillie, the co-founder of Research in Motion that manufactures Blackberry devices, offered York $30 million to establish the international relations school. The province of Ontario agreed to match the offer, the Post said. Balsillie's offer was linked to the new school's close participation with his private think tank in Waterloo, Ontario, the Center for International Governance Innovation. However, hundreds of York professors and faculty rallied against the proposal, saying it would have eroded academic freedom by allowing the CIGI think tank to influence curriculum and the hiring of faculty, the Post said. Last year, CIGI made a similar offer to the University of Ottawa, which also rejected it, the Globe and Mail said. The group's vice president of public affairs, Fred Kuntz, told the Globe it wasn't likely another university would receive a similar offer.