University of Illinois Chancellor Comes out in Favor of Academic Freedom! Oh, wait a minute…

University of Illinois Chancellor Phyllis Wise, on December 27, 2013:

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign opposes the boycott of Israeli academic institutions and endorses the statement made by the AAU. At Illinois, we value academic freedom as one of our core principles and cherish the critical importance of the ability of faculty to pursue learning, discovery and engagement without regard to political considerations.

University of Illinois Chancellor Phyllis Wise, on August 6, 2014.

Make sure to email Wise, urging her to rescind her rescission of the hiring of Steven Salaita. You can email Wise at pmwise@illinois.edu. Please cc Robert Warrior of the American Indian Studies department at the University of Illinois. His email is rwarrior@illinois.edu. Also cc the department: ais@illinois.edu.

Update (7:30 pm)

Via my sister comes this quote from Chancellor Wise, on January 30, 2014:

Of all places, a university should be home to diverse ideas and differing perspectives, where robust – and even intense – debate and disagreement are welcomed. How do we foster such an atmosphere? Only through an unwavering and unrelenting commitment to building truly diverse communities of students and scholars.

3 Comments

  1. Ryan Daley August 6, 2014 at 4:18 pm | #

    From Wikipedia: “In July 2010,[32] Dr. Kenneth Howell, an adjunct professor teaching Introduction to Catholic Thought, was fired for teaching the Roman Catholic positions on homosexuality. The Alliance Defense Fund took up Dr. Howell’s case, stating that his dismissal was a violation of academic freedom and the First Amendment. The University’s position, as stated by Ann Mester, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was that Dr. Howell’s comments “violate university standards of inclusivity, which would then entitle us to have him discontinue his teaching arrangement with us.”
    Dr. Howell was reinstated by the University of Illinois as an adjunct instructor for the fall 2010 term to teach “Introduction to Catholicism”, resolving the situation for the time being.[33] The university announced on July 28 that it would follow the recommendation of the Academic Senate’s General University Policy Committee to begin paying the salary of instructors teaching Catholic studies courses. St. John’s Catholic Newman Center previously paid instructor salaries. The matter was reviewed by the Academic Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure, which concluded that Dr. Howell was not granted due process, but that there could be grounds for dismissal through due process because of a lack of competency. The committee also concluded that students do not possess a right to not be offended by a professor’s criticisms of their viewpoint.”[34]

  2. freespeechlover August 7, 2014 at 10:37 am | #

    Does anyone know if Cary Nelson had a hand in this decision? As in organizing behind the scenes against Steve Salaita, once he had been offered a position?

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