Eleven days after the second article on Bassam Frangieh’s pro-Hamas, pro-Hezbollah views and 234 days since the first article and after several Claremont McKenna’s administration has finally responded to repeated requests for comment from alumni, faculty, parents, and students.
Sadly, it has chosen to do it only after numerous alumni have withheld donations -- harming our school and its reputation in the process. The statement will be forthcoming in a moment. It was, insofar as I can tell, released only to faculty members, but there are several downright distortions and CMC administration spin in that statement which I will detail in a subsequent article and must respond to. Alas, we’ve come to expect this kind of spin. Claremont McKenna’s VP of Communications and Public Affairs Richard Rodner manipulated Wikipedia to delete substantive, thoroughly-researched criticism of Frangieh -- and then signed his username “Rrodner.”
Oh, and did I mention there’s still more to come?
Here’s Dean Hess’s statement:
From: “Hess, Gregory” ;gregory.hess@claremontmckenna.edu
Date: December 16, 2010 4:07:01 PM PST
To: “Hess, Gregory";gregory.hess@claremontmckenna.edu
Subject: Statement of Gregory Hess in Response to Student Articles
Dear Colleagues,
The following statement is in response to recent student articles and blog entries regarding Professor Bassam Frangieh, who is a Professor of Arabic in the Modern Languages Department and is chair of the interdisciplinary faculty committee that administers the Middle East Studies major at CMC.
The articles make a number of serious and wide-ranging accusations directed at Professor Frangieh and the College. The College has met with Professor Frangieh and reviewed the allegations raised in the articles. The College’s review found that Professor’s Frangieh’s political expressions fall within the framework of the appropriate exercise of his First Amendment rights. Similarly, Professor Frangieh’s academic scholarship, which focuses on Arabic language, literature, and culture, falls within the appropriate exercise of his academic freedom. Although the College recognizes that individuals may disagree with some of Professor Frangieh’s viewpoints, or may find them controversial, the College does not agree with the student’s opinion that Professor Frangieh supports terrorism. In addition, Professor Frangieh has specifically and emphatically denied that he supports terrorism, or any acts of terrorism by any organization. [CJ: There is no evidence in the public record that this is true.]
The articles are also critical of the College’s hiring process and Professor Frangieh’s academic qualifications. Similar to our hiring process for all tenured appointments, the College’s hiring process was based on a comprehensive and deliberate national search, which included a thorough review of Professor Frangieh’s academic credentials and background. As part of this process, the College obtained numerous reference letters from scholars and administrators at a number of prestigious institutions, including Yale University. Those references include letters from scholars and administrators who praised Professor Frangieh’s academic balance and perspective on Middle East issues, and his ability and desire to work effectively with students from a range of religious and political backgrounds.
As an institution of higher education, Claremont McKenna College is committed to upholding the academic freedom and free speech rights of all members of our community. These freedoms are essential to the search for truth and the advancement of knowledge, which is the central aim of any institution of higher learning, and are of particular importance when dealing with controversial or unpopular matters. It is our hope and expectation that members of the CMC community and the public at large can discuss and debate controversial topics such as those related to the Middle East within the context of respectful debate and civil discourse. [CJ’s note: How is Frangieh’s calling for a boycott of all Israeli academics and institutions “respectful debate” or “civil discourse”?]
Sincerely,
Gregory D. Hess
Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dean of the Faculty
James G. Boswell Professor of Economics; George R. Roberts Fellow
Claremont McKenna College
Bauer Center 500 E. Ninth Street
Claremont, CA 91711
(909) 621-8117 (office)
(909) 607-1212 (fax)
