Gitmo psychologist dropped from campus job search

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The University of Missouri has ended a search for a leader for its College of Education after controversy over a finalist's background as a psychologist at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reported that the school is appointing the head of its faculty search committee as an interim replacement rather than hire retired Army Col. Larry James, or a second finalist from the University of Minnesota.

James is dean of professional psychology at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. His 22-year military career includes two stints overseeing interrogations at the U.S. military detention centers.

Faculty and student critics said James was involved in abuse of detainees. He denied the charges.

James also had coordinated mental health resources at the Pentagon after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.