Posted on 03/22/2005 9:43:12 PM PST by ajolympian2004
DENVER - As a decision nears on whether to fire a controversial professor, University of Colorado President Elizabeth Hoffman hinted Tuesday that a proposal to change tenure may be in the works.
Speaking to Republican state lawmakers, Hoffman fended off questions about tenure, pointing out that the university's governing Board of Regents will meet Wednesday and Thursday and saying she didn't want to "steal anyone's thunder."
"Give us a few days," Hoffman said.
She did not elaborate. Her spokeswoman, Michele McKinney, said she could not comment.
Regents Chairman Jerry Rutledge and Vice Chairwoman Gail Schwartz did not immediately return telephone messages.
CU's rules governing tenure were thrust into the spotlight by the firestorm over Ward Churchill, who enraged many lawmakers by comparing some Sept. 11 victims to a notorious Nazi.
Churchill, a tenured professor of ethnic studies, has said he was making the point that some of those killed in the World Trade Center were participating in an American economic system that has resulted in injustices that provoked the Sept. 11 attacks.
The university has scheduled an announcement Monday on whether it will start the process of firing Churchill. University officials began a review of his academic work after his Sept. 11 comments made headlines.
Gov. Bill Owens has urged that Churchill be fired, and both houses of the Legislature passed resolutions condemning the professor's comments.
Churchill and his supporters say he was protected by the Constitution and academic freedom. A full-page ad appeared Tuesday in the Boulder Daily Camera, signed by 400 professors and administrators from across the nation condemning the investigation of Churchill.
He has said he would sue if he is fired.
Attorneys for Churchill and the regents were negotiating a buyout of his contract, but the talks broke off March 11 after allegations surfaced that he had plagiarized and threatened a Canadian professor. Churchill denied the claims.
Jeeze, CU, just grow a pair and fire the lying commie fraud already.
"Jeeze, CU, just grow a pair and fire the lying commie fraud already."
Never going to happen. If they had a pair, and possibly even a brain, they would have investigated him and found out all the lies, plagiarism, fraud, etc. before they ever hired him and they wouldn't be in this mess.
Ward who? Is he, like, Churchill?
It will take some time for CU to act. Most universities would prefer the problem just go away rather than having to take definitive action.
A number of years ago, I was working at a major university and a tenure-track professor didn't make mid-tenure review. In accordance with standard policy, the professor was given a one-year terminal contract. During the first semester of her terminal year, the professor missed most of her classes and when she did show up she would spend most of the class period telling drinking stories. Students and their parents loudly complained to the department chair and dean. After several weeks' time and numerous calls to the state AG, she was finally let go partway through the terminal year. If this had been private industry, she would have been fired in a quarter of the time.
Universities move slowly. I'm guessing that the CU administration is trying to figure out the best way to move Churchill along. They will be frustrating deliberate about it but I think something will be done.
If anything, the charges of lying about his ethnicity and academic fraud should be ample cause for firing him. If not, maybe Bill Owens can get the AG to file assault charges after he took a swing at that reporter in front of a TV camera a couple of weeks ago. Kinda hard to teach his commie garbage from prison.
Actually prison would be the perfect 'classroom'.
http://www.claremont.org/writings/050315corey.html
A good legal summation on why Churchill should be fired.
"Most universities would prefer the problem just go away rather than having to take definitive action."
And this is why "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."
Breaking News - live conference by CU chancelor Phil DiStephano re: Ward Churchill coming up at 5pm ET. You can Listen Live at http://www.850koa.com/ and probably at http://www.khow.com/ as well.
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