Academic Dean Nancy Lecourt stated that the conflict originated from tension between the school's commitment to promote the church and professors' freedom to teach, stating, "How do we get students thinking? We poke at them, we introduce them to new ideas, and we ask difficult questions... But how do we get them thinking without losing their faith?" Following the school's re-evaluation of academic freedom, a professor, Greg Schneider, stated, "This damages the fabric the school's academic focus, and it's going to take some reweaving." Schneider, who had taught at PUC for 37 years, planned to retire soon and asked, rhetorically, "Can I still, with my whole being, communicate to my students that this is where you ought to be?"