In letters Wednesday to the two former IT employees, Provost Kathy Krendl said she reviewed and the grievance committee's three-page recommendation but concluded the firings were justified. Krendl has the final authority in such matters under the policies of the Athens, Ohio-based school.

Thomas Reid, director of communication network services (CNS), and Todd Acheson, Unix systems manager at the CNS unit, were fired in August by the university's CIO, Bill Sams, on the grounds of "nonfeasance."

"I must conclude that responsibility for designing and maintaining a secure network resided in your office," Krendl wrote Wednesday in separate two-page letters to Reid and Acheson. "I support Mr. Sams' finding of nonfeasance, noting that this finding does not indicate any intentional or purposeful wrongdoing. It does not indicate that you intended to put our data at risk, but in fact, that was the result of failing to take the necessary proactive steps to protect confidential information."

Krendl could not be reached for comment, but her office issued a statement on the university's Web site.

In her letters to the former employees, Krendl wrote, "The central issue was and is the need for a secure network that is designed to protect highly sensitive and confidential information. Clearly this responsibility lies within the purview of those who oversee and maintain the network.