AAUP threatens investigation, censure of University of Missouri over Melissa Click firing
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/education/turmoil_at_mu/aaup-threatens-investigation-censure-of-university-of-missouri-over-melissa/article_e2503e9f-26dd-5753-9f1b-1ac264271fc6.html
Oh…oh…looks like the UM Board of Curators are in trouble now…
Two to four tenured faculty members from other institutions would conduct the association’s investigation, Tiede said. They would visit Columbia to meet with administrators, curators, faculty leaders and Click, he said. The association’s Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee would consider a written report after the university and Click had a chance to review it and respond.
The association would publish the report if the committee approved it, Tiede said, and the association would consider a resolution on censure during its annual meeting in June. The censure serves as a warning to prospective faculty that their rights might not be respected at the university, he said.
“It is primarily a moral issue. It is also a public relations issue,” Tiede said. “Universities don’t necessarily like to receive bad press because it brings attention to something they did outside the norm of academic conduct.”
The most recent censure action was against the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for withdrawing a faculty appointment from Steven Salaita, an associate professor of English who had resigned his previous position to take a new job. Salaita used Twitter to vent his outrage over Israeli military action in Gaza, prompting supporters of Israel to denounce it as hate speech.
From a PR standpoint (and trying to win back alumni and the legislature support) a “censure” would be welcomed by the UM Board. At least they could stand up to the AAUP.