Dive Brief:
- A disapproving report by the American Association of University Professors lays the foundation for a censure vote against the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for its abrupt withdrawal of Steven Salaita’s appointment last summer.
- The AAUP report argues Salaita’s case — which came to a head after he tweeted anti-Israel comments and the university rescinded its job offer — hampers academic freedom, Inside Higher Ed reports.
- With Salaita’s own lawsuit against the university still pending, the censure vote could be the biggest consequence to date for the university.
Dive Insight:
Salaita was offered a tenured position in the university’s American Indian Studies program last summer, and he signed the offer letter before Chancellor Phyllis Wise told him his hire didn’t get approval from the university’s board of trustees. The case has tarnished the reputation of the university and drawn criticism from the broader academic community, always sensitive to issues of academic freedom. Scholars have refused to speak on campus and internal search committees have reportedly had a harder time attracting faculty. While plenty of onlookers agree with the university’s decision and its right to make it, the AAUP’s impending censure will further raise the profile of the university’s critics.