Former University of Colorado Boulder professor Ward Churchill, a controversial symbol of academic freedom and free speech who was fired after comparing 9/11 victims to a notorious Nazi, has died, his former attorney confirmed. He was 78. Ward died Tuesday in Atlanta of complications from a stroke, longtime friend and former attorney David Lane said Wednesday. Churchill had been a tenured professor at the University of Colorado’s Boulder campus for more than 15 years and had served as chairman of its ethnic studies department when he was fired in 2007. Read our story at the link in our bio. 📝: Lauren Penington, The Denver Post 📷: Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post // hyoung_ccc 📷: Mark Leffingwell, Boulder Daily Camera #cu #cuboulder #freespeech