The University of Kansas is disputing a journalism professor’s contention that he began a planned sabbatical early amid fallout from his tweet about the Navy Yard shootings.

Timothy Carboni, the university’s vice chancellor for public affairs, said in a statement Monday that David W. Guth is on indefinite administrative leave with pay. He says Guth is not on sabbatical this semester.

Guth told The Associated Press in an email Saturday that he agreed to step away from the classroom and, in essence, begin a planned sabbatical early to allow time for cooler heads to prevail.

In February, Guth was awarded a sabbatical to start in spring 2014 to research how rural community journalists survive in the 21st century.