1. American Indian Studies
22 August 2014; Urbana,
Champaign
At its annual
retreat this afternoon, the faculty of the American Indian Studies program at
the University of Illinois cast a vote of no confidence in UIUC Chancellor
Phyllis Wise.
Our sentiment is
based on Wise's decision to effectively fire Prof. Steven Salaita, whose de
facto hire had been properly vetted by the unit and approved by the college
through standard academic procedures. This process culminated in the signing of
a good-faith contract between Prof. Sailata and our college, and only awaited
customary rubber-stamp approval by the UIUC Board of Trustees.
In clear
disregard of basic principles of shared governance and unit autonomy, and
without basic courtesy and respect for collegiality, Chancellor Wise did not
consult American Indian Studies nor the college before making her decision.
While she has
yet to furnish specific reasons, we believe that Chancellor Wise's decision was
in fact made in response to external pressures that sought to block Prof.
Salaita's hire, coupled with her objection over the content and tone of his
personal and political tweets over the subject of Israeli bombing of Palestine.
With this vote
of no confidence, the faculty of UIUC's American Indian Studies program also
joins the thousands of scholars and organizations in the United States and
across the world in seeing the Chancellor's action as a violation of academic
freedom and freedom of speech.
We are grateful
for the solidarity and support that our colleagues have already shown us in
this matter, and we invite other units on our campus to similarly take up the
question of whether or not the Chancellor deserves the confidence of our
University's faculty.
2. Philosophy
The
Department of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
today (August 28) approved the following resolution:
Whereas the
recent words and actions of Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter,
and the Board of Trustees in connection with the revocation of an offer of
employment to Dr. Steven Salaita betray a culpable disregard not only for
academic freedom and free speech generally but also for the principles of
shared governance and established protocols for hiring, tenure, and promotion,
the faculty of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign declares its lack of confidence in the leadership of the
current Chancellor, President, and Board of Trustees.
3. Asian American Studies
On
Wednesday, August 27, 2014, the faculty of the Department of Asian American
Studies cast a vote of no confidence in UIUC Chancellor Phyllis Wise and the
Board of Trustees.
In
response to the firing of Professor Steven Salaita by the Chancellor, an act
that undermined shared governance and unit autonomy, and the recent suggestions
reported in the media of external pressures from donors and alumni in the
hiring process well after the standard vetting process was concluded, we no
longer have faith in the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees who are
implicated in this highly irregular action. Additionally, we are suspicious of
the recent move by the Senate Executive Committee to aid the administration in
regularizing these processes for undermining unit autonomy.
Although
the recent statements of the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees on Friday,
August 22nd, affirm the values of dialogue and diversity, we believe
this decision has done enormous harm to our campus and has created a climate
that does not honor dissent. Set in the context of the recent Israeli bombing
of Gaza, the Chancellor claims to have made this decision based on tweets with
an inappropriate tone of incivility. We believe her actions exceeded the bounds
of the rules and policies that govern our university. Furthermore, the firing
of Salaita has created an atmosphere of fear and retaliation for unpopular
academic, political, and personal pursuits.
The
administration’s claims to honor diversity are at odds with the marginalization
of academic units that represent the teaching and research of topics related to
racialized populations. These units serve as the face of diversity on this
campus, yet their autonomy is willfully disregarded. Thus, the University
continues a superficial endorsement of diversity through its contradictory
actions regarding issues of racial injustice and violence.
In
solidarity with the American Indian Studies program and thousands of scholars
and organizations around the world, we see the Chancellor’s decision and the
approval by the Board of Trustees as a violation of academic freedom and the
First Amendment right of freedom of speech.
4. English
On September 2,
2014, the faculty of the Department of English at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign cast a vote of no confidence in the Board of Trustees,
President Robert Easter, and Chancellor Phyllis Wise.
This no
confidence vote follows the university administration’s decision to rescind a
tenured job offer in American Indian Studies to Professor Steven Salaita. The
English department’s vote expresses grave disappointment in the way the
administration has overridden the multiple levels of rigorous faculty review
that make up any offer of a tenured position at our university. We are deeply
troubled by the disregard for academic freedom, freedom of speech, and the
principles of shared governance as well as the complete lack of faculty
consultation that the administration has demonstrated. In addition, we are
concerned about the possibility that the administration’s decision was
influenced by political considerations and by the interference of donors and
alumni. If this decision is not reversed, we fear that the reputation of the
University of Illinois as a site of scholarly excellence and diverse viewpoints
will suffer permanent damage. In the face of the administration’s troubling
actions, we call for the reinstatement of Professor Salaita and we reaffirm the
established protocols for hiring, tenure, and promotion that have allowed us to
recruit and retain top faculty.
5. History
Whereas
academic freedom and a commitment to fairness and transparency in all academic
procedures and practices, including faculty hires, form the foundations of the
American public higher educational system;
Whereas
Chancellor Phyllis Wise, on August 1, 2014, summarily and without faculty
consultation, informed Dr. Steven Salaita that she would not forward his
contract to the Board of Trustees, thereby voiding every preceding review by
faculty and administrative personnel;
Whereas
Chancellor Wise’s August 22, 2014, explanation for her action in the name of
“civility” threatens to undermine the protection of tenure and the right to
free speech, and obscures the role played in this decision by political
pressure;
Whereas
President Robert Easter and the Board of Trustees endorsed this violation of
shared governance, due process, and academic freedom on August 22, 2014;
Whereas
the American Association of University Professors in an August 29, 2014,
letter to Chancellor Wise expressed its “deep concern,” and stated that “Aborting an
appointment in this manner without having demonstrated cause has consistently
been seen by the AAUP as tantamount to summary dismissal, an action
categorically inimical to academic freedom and due process and one aggravated
in his case by the apparent failure to provide him with any written or even
oral explanation”;
The faculty of the Department of History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign declares its lack of confidence in the leadership of the current Chancellor, President, and Board of Trustees. We call on the Chancellor, the President, and the Board of Trustees to reverse this decision by reinstating Dr. Salaita.
The faculty of the Department of History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign declares its lack of confidence in the leadership of the current Chancellor, President, and Board of Trustees. We call on the Chancellor, the President, and the Board of Trustees to reverse this decision by reinstating Dr. Salaita.
6. Latina/Latino Studies
The faculty of
the Department of Latina/Latino Studies (LLS) at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign met on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 to discuss the
University’s revocation of an offer of employment to Dr. Steven Salaita. We
concluded that this revocation and the subsequent public statements by
Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, and the Board of Trustees
about Dr. Salaita’s appointment demonstrate a clear disregard for the
principles of academic freedom, free speech, and shared governance, as well as
for established protocols for hiring, tenure, and promotion. The faculty of LLS
therefore declares that we have no confidence in the leadership of the
current Chancellor, President, and Board of Trustees
7. Comparative and World
Literature
The faculty of
the Program in Comparative and World Literature at the University of Illinois
stand united in their trust that academic
freedom and a commitment to fairness and transparency in all academic
procedures and practices, including faculty hires, form the foundations of the
American public higher educational system. Chancellor Phyllis
Wise’s unilateral decision on August 1, 2014, to inform Dr. Steven
Salaita, summarily and without faculty consultation, that she would not
forward his contract to the Board of Trustees, voided every preceding review by
faculty and administrative personnel, and has caused immediate and lasting
damage to the national and international reputations of the University of
Illinois. Furthermore, Chancellor Wise’s August 22, 2014, explanation of
her action in the name of “civility” directly contradicted the protection of
tenure and the right to free speech guaranteed by University statutes and
its membership in the AAUP, and obscured the role played in this decision by
political pressures. President Robert Easter and the Board of Trustees
exacerbated this damage by their endorsement of this violation of shared
governance, due process, and academic freedom on August 22, 2014. The
University of Illinois Statutes clearly state that, “It is the policy of
the University to maintain and encourage full freedom within the law of
inquiry, discourse, teaching, research, and publication and to protect any
member of the academic staff against influences, from within or without the
University, which would restrict the member’s exercise of these freedoms in the
member’s area of scholarly interest.” The
faculty of the Program In Comparative and World Literature at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign declares its lack of confidence in the leadership
of the current Chancellor, President, and Board of Trustees. We call on the
Chancellor, the President, and the Board of Trustees to: reverse their decision
by reinstating Dr. Salaita; to reaffirm the established protocols for
hiring, tenure, and promotion; and to abide by University statutes to
protect all members of its academic staff "against
influences, from within or without the University.”
8, Anthropology
The
faculty of the Department of Anthropology met this afternoon and adopted, by
vote of a strong faculty majority, the following resolution (also attached)of
no confidence in current UIUC leadership.
The faculty of
the Department of Anthropology has watched with increasing concern as details
of Chancellor Phyllis Wise’s decision to withdraw an offer of employment to
Professor Steven Salaita have come to light. It is now clear to us that the
Chancellor violated established procedures for hiring, and that she acted
without consulting other academic leaders at the unit and college
level. Subsequent statements by the Chancellor, President Robert
Easter, and the Board of Trustees call into question their commitment to
academic freedom and the principles of faculty governance that are at the core
of a research university. The repercussions of these actions have already
affected us in multiple ways, including our interactions with national and
international colleagues. This expanding controversy will undoubtedly undercut
our ability to recruit and retain top faculty in our field. We are no longer
confident that the continuing leadership of our current Chancellor, President,
and Board of Trustees is in the best interest of the University of Illinois.
Therefore, we join other faculty bodies on campus in registering our vote of no
confidence in Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, and the Board
of Trustees.
9. French and Italian
The
Department of French and Italian is deeply concerned by the handling of the
Steven Salaita case and its immediate and lasting chilling effects on the
status of freedom of speech, especially academic freedom, and the principles of
shared governance on our campus. Both academic freedom and shared governance
were severely curtailed by Chancellor Wise’s decision not to forward Professor
Salaita’s appointment to the Board of Trustees, a decision since endorsed by
the Board and the President. Neither faculty in Professor Salaita’s department
of American Indian Studies nor in any other department that might have been
able to speak to his case were consulted—indeed, no faculty were consulted at
all.
The
handling of Professor Salaita’s appointment is just the latest and most
egregious example of the failure to respect shared governance at the University
of Illinois, where top-down management has ignored at will the most fundamental
stakeholders of our institution: students and teachers. Many of those teachers
are non-tenure track instructors who have to wonder just how precarious their
own positions are, currently working without contracts as the administration
continues to refuse to recognize their collective bargaining rights.
Chancellor
Wise’s decision has created a climate of fear and anxiety, abridged freedom of
speech and academic freedom, and harmed the national and international
reputation of the University of Illinois. We therefore cast a vote of no
confidence in Chancellor Wise, President Easter, and the Board of Trustees.
10. Religious Studies
At
its meeting of 5 September 2014, the faculty of the Department of Religion at
the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, cast a vote of no confidence in
Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, and the Board of Trustees. The
vote for no confidence carried by a strong majority.
This
no confidence vote pertains to the University’s decision to rescind the offer
of an associate professorship with tenure in American Indian Studies to Dr.
Steven Salaita.
The
Religion Department objects strenuously to the highly irregular way in which
the University administration rescinded the appointment offer to Dr. Salaita.
With this action, the University administration has violated established
procedures for making faculty appointments and has overruled a thorough and
carefully conducted faculty and administrative review of Dr. Salaita’s career
without adequate justification. Moreover, in this case, the University
administration has shown an unacceptable disregard for the fundamental principles
of academic freedom and freedom of speech.
Substantial
evidence is now available that indicates that the administration’s decision was
influenced by political considerations and by pressure from donors and alums.
That is a fundamental breach of the integrity of the university.
If this decision
is not reversed, the reputation of the University of Illinois as an institution
that aspires to the highest ideals in American education will suffer
substantial damage.
11.
East Asian Languages and Cultures
On
4 September 2014, the faculty of the Department of East Asian Languages and
Cultures at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign cast an overwhelming
vote of no confidence in Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, the
University of Illinois Board of Trustees. Through this vote, we, the faculty of
EALC, express our strongest disapproval of Chancellor Wise’s decision to
rescind a job offer with tenure in American Indian Studies to Dr. Steven
Salaita and the endorsement of that decision by President Easter and the Board
of Trustees. In our view, the university administration ignored the
well-established and thoroughgoing review process for offering tenured
positions at this university and disregarded long-cherished principles of
shared governance by failing to consult with the academic leadership involved
in the hiring of Dr. Salaita. This decision has serious ramifications for the
university’s standing at home and abroad and contributes to an atmosphere of
apprehension and insecurity. To prevent further damage to the University of
Illinois and its reputation for scholarly excellence and inclusivity, we join
other academic departments and faculty bodies across campus in voicing our lack
of confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Wise, President Easter, and the
Board of Trusties and in calling for the reinstatement of Dr. Salaita.
12. Gender & Women's Studies
The Department of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Illinois stands with American Indian Studies and calls for the reinstatement of our colleague Dr. Steven Salaita to the AIS faculty. We therefore declare no confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, and the Board of Trustees. We do not take this step lightly, but our commitment to the principles of academic freedom, shared governance, and the right of free speech in the service of social justice compels us to do so.
Whereas Chancellor Phyllis Wise is charged with defending these commitments and also with maintaining an inclusive environment in which individuals representing different racial and ethnic groups, class backgrounds, genders and sexualities, and expressions of multiple political viewpoints are incorporated into a common project of teaching, research and service;
Whereas on August 22, 2014, Chancellor Wise without faculty consultation rescinded Dr. Steven Salaita’s hiring, informing him that she would not send his contract to the Board of Trustees, thereby negating several levels of faculty and administrative evaluation;
Whereas Chancellor Wise’s August 22, 2014 explanation for her action, that Dr. Salaita’s comments on social media lacked “civility,” repudiates the constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech and the securities afforded by tenure; her explanation also masks the influence of economic and political coercion by wealthy alumni and donors played in her decision;
Whereas President Robert Easter and the Board of Trustees endorsed Wise’s violation of shared governance, due process, free speech and academic freedom;
Whereas the American Association of University Professors has condemned the university’s discharge of Dr. Salaita as “tantamount to summary dismissal” and nearly 4,000 faculty from across the country have initiated an academic boycott of the Urbana campus;
Whereas in addition to the violation of Dr. Salaita’s rights, the Department of African American Studies is also deeply concerned by the persistent decline in African American student enrollment during Phyllis Wise’s tenure as chancellor;
Whereas African American enrollment at UIUC has declined from a high of 2516 total students, and 561 or 7.8 percent of the first year class in 2006, to 2059 total students in the spring of 2014 and 433 or 5.9 percent of the first year class in 2013; and the fall 2014 African American first year student enrollment is expected to be in the 300s. While much of the decline is structural, Chancellor Wise has not only failed to stem the decline, it has gotten precipitously worse during her tenure.
Whereas in her January 20, 2014 statement “Moving Past Digital Hate,” Chancellor Wise described student criticism of her as “vitriolic . . . vulgar, crude and in some instances racist and sexist”; she nevertheless concluded, “The negative comments, as offensive as they were, are protected speech,” thus she tolerates and enables a campus climate of hate speech in which racist epithets, depictions, and racial microaggressions are routinely experienced by Blacks and people of color on this campus.
Therefore it is hereby resolved that we the Department of African American Studies join with our colleagues in several departments and programs across the campus in concluding that we have NO CONFIDENCE in the leadership of the current Chancellor, President, and the Board of Trustees and call on the Chancellor to reverse her decision to de-hire Dr. Salaita and to treat the current situation of African Americans on campus as a crisis requiring immediate action.
12. Gender & Women's Studies
The Department of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Illinois stands with American Indian Studies and calls for the reinstatement of our colleague Dr. Steven Salaita to the AIS faculty. We therefore declare no confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, and the Board of Trustees. We do not take this step lightly, but our commitment to the principles of academic freedom, shared governance, and the right of free speech in the service of social justice compels us to do so.
13. Sociology
September 10, 2014
Deeply troubled by the actions of University of Illinois administrators with respect to the revocation of an employment offer to Dr. Steven Salaita, the faculty of the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign cast a vote of no confidence in the leadership of Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, and the Board of Trustees. As the University and the world confront complicated and divisive issues, the pursuit of knowledge and understanding in our democracy requires academic institutions to defend academic freedom and respect freedom of speech. Successful leadership of a preeminent public academic institution requires commitment to shared governance and to established protocols for hiring, tenure, and promotion. Failure to practice any one of these undermines the University's mission to educate society and create new knowledge. Such failures also seriously threaten the reputation of the University of Illinois.
We therefore call upon the Chancellor, President, and Board of Trustees to reinstate Dr. Salaita. We further call upon them to demonstrate their commitment to shared governance and academic freedom by affirming their support for established protocols for hiring, tenure and promotion.
14. Department of African American Studies
STATEMENT REGARDING DR. STEVEN SALAITA: DEPARTMENT OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES(passed by strong majority, 9/10/14)
Whereas the foundation of the United States’ higher
education system is its commitment to shared governance, free speech,
academic freedom, due process, and transparency in all policies,
procedures and practices, especially in faculty hiring, tenuring and
promotion;Whereas Chancellor Phyllis Wise is charged with defending these commitments and also with maintaining an inclusive environment in which individuals representing different racial and ethnic groups, class backgrounds, genders and sexualities, and expressions of multiple political viewpoints are incorporated into a common project of teaching, research and service;
Whereas on August 22, 2014, Chancellor Wise without faculty consultation rescinded Dr. Steven Salaita’s hiring, informing him that she would not send his contract to the Board of Trustees, thereby negating several levels of faculty and administrative evaluation;
Whereas Chancellor Wise’s August 22, 2014 explanation for her action, that Dr. Salaita’s comments on social media lacked “civility,” repudiates the constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech and the securities afforded by tenure; her explanation also masks the influence of economic and political coercion by wealthy alumni and donors played in her decision;
Whereas President Robert Easter and the Board of Trustees endorsed Wise’s violation of shared governance, due process, free speech and academic freedom;
Whereas the American Association of University Professors has condemned the university’s discharge of Dr. Salaita as “tantamount to summary dismissal” and nearly 4,000 faculty from across the country have initiated an academic boycott of the Urbana campus;
Whereas in addition to the violation of Dr. Salaita’s rights, the Department of African American Studies is also deeply concerned by the persistent decline in African American student enrollment during Phyllis Wise’s tenure as chancellor;
Whereas African American enrollment at UIUC has declined from a high of 2516 total students, and 561 or 7.8 percent of the first year class in 2006, to 2059 total students in the spring of 2014 and 433 or 5.9 percent of the first year class in 2013; and the fall 2014 African American first year student enrollment is expected to be in the 300s. While much of the decline is structural, Chancellor Wise has not only failed to stem the decline, it has gotten precipitously worse during her tenure.
Whereas in her January 20, 2014 statement “Moving Past Digital Hate,” Chancellor Wise described student criticism of her as “vitriolic . . . vulgar, crude and in some instances racist and sexist”; she nevertheless concluded, “The negative comments, as offensive as they were, are protected speech,” thus she tolerates and enables a campus climate of hate speech in which racist epithets, depictions, and racial microaggressions are routinely experienced by Blacks and people of color on this campus.
Therefore it is hereby resolved that we the Department of African American Studies join with our colleagues in several departments and programs across the campus in concluding that we have NO CONFIDENCE in the leadership of the current Chancellor, President, and the Board of Trustees and call on the Chancellor to reverse her decision to de-hire Dr. Salaita and to treat the current situation of African Americans on campus as a crisis requiring immediate action.
15. Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership
September 10, 2014
We, the undersigned faculty from the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership (EPOL), in the long-standing traditions of our department’s mission to advocate for social justice in education and to ensure that minority scholarship has a place at the university, urge the University of Illinois Board of Trustees to consider and approve the appointment of Associate Professor Steven Salaita.
We are concerned that the abrogation of principles of shared governance and the chilling effects of this situation on academic freedom are not only generating international and national harm to the University of Illinois, but also undermining our students’ confidence in the university to provide them with a supportive environment for studying the difficult issues facing education in a pluralistic democracy and diverse global context. Social media is one context in which we are all able to test ideas, form thoughts, and interact in real time with a wider community; it is a place where spontaneity and emotion can enter into the public square in new ways. We believe that Professor Salaita’s academic and non-academic pursuits exemplify changes in our civic life and we would welcome him as a member of our university’s intellectual community.
We value education as a process where contentious and urgent social issues can be debated with commitment, intensity, and rigor without fear of recourse. We urge the administration to see the damage inflicted on our community of scholars and our future teachers when silence and surveillance replace expression.
In the absence of positive action leading to the reinstatement of Prof. Salaita, we express our lack of confidence in the Board of Trustees.
James Anderson, Head / Gutgsell Professor
Cris Mayo, Associate Head and Professor
Linda Herrera, Associate Professor
Linda Herrera, Associate Professor
William T. Trent, Professor
Anjalé D. Welton, Assistant Professor
Pradeep A. Dhillon, Associate Professor
Yoon Pak, Associate Professor
Lorenzo Baber, Assistant Professor
Rema Reynolds, Assistant Professor
Anne Haas Dyson, Professor
Adrienne D. Dixon
William Cope, Professor
Ruth Nicole Brown, Associate Professor
Christopher Lubienski, Professor
Cameron McCarthy, Professor
Rebecca Ginsberg, Associate Professor
16. Slavic Languages & Literatures
The faculty of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign considers the revocation of an offer of employment to Dr. Steven Salaita a violation of the principles of academic freedom and free speech, the principles of shared governance, and established hiring and academic promotion protocols at our institution. We hereby strongly condemn this decision and the related statements and actions by Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, and the Board of Trustees, and declare our lack of confidence in their leadership in this matter and our great concern regarding the implications it has for the University of Illinois.
16. Slavic Languages & Literatures
The faculty of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign considers the revocation of an offer of employment to Dr. Steven Salaita a violation of the principles of academic freedom and free speech, the principles of shared governance, and established hiring and academic promotion protocols at our institution. We hereby strongly condemn this decision and the related statements and actions by Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, and the Board of Trustees, and declare our lack of confidence in their leadership in this matter and our great concern regarding the implications it has for the University of Illinois.
OTHER RELATED STATEMENTS RELATED TO CONFIDENCE
1. Geography & GIS*
1. Geography & GIS*
The faculty of the Department of Geography & GIScience expresses its grave concerns around Chancellor Wise’s withdrawal of an employment offer to Dr. Steven Salaita by the American Indian Studies Program. This action threatens free speech and faculty governance at the University of Illinois.
We uphold the principle of free speech and the passionate debate of ideas. Associate Chancellor for Public Affairs Robin Kaler’s initial response to media queries regarding Professor Salaita’s tweets on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the correct position to take and one the Chancellor, President, and Board of Trustees should have upheld. Kaler stated: “Faculty have a wide range of scholarly and political views, and we recognize the freedom-of-speech rights of all of our employees.” Email communications uncovered by FOIA requests indicate that political interests played a role in Chancellor Wise’s decision to reverse this position. We deplore the intrusion of non-academic considerations in setting university standards and policy.
We are most troubled by the procedure by which the Chancellor, President, and Board of Trustees decided to deny Dr. Salaita employment at the University of Illinois. University statutes give departments, colleges, and the Provost’s office great responsibility in the hiring and promotion of its faculty. The scrupulous search and evaluation processes involve national searches, rigorous review of teaching, research, and service records, and multiple votes by duly constituted committees at the departmental, college, and campus levels. The committees at all three levels deemed Dr. Salaita to be the top candidate for the tenured faculty position.
The decision of the Chancellor, President, and Board of Trustees to rescind the employment offer to Dr. Salaita was made without consulting the faculty of the American Indian Studies Program or the Interim-Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. We find this arbitrary administrative practice to be intolerable and call for a public process to strengthen shared governance at the University of Illinois. The gravity of these issues compels us to object to this form of arbitrary administrative rule by voting no confidence in the Chancellor’s, President’s, and Board of Trustees’ handling of the Salaita case.
The faculty deeply regrets that the national and international reputation of our great university has been badly tarnished by the administration’s actions. In order to restore the faculty trust that is essential to university governance and to protect the freedom of academic inquiry, we implore the Chancellor, President, and Board of Trustees to reinstate the offer to Dr. Salaita.
*Approved by a strong majority of departmental faculty on September 10, 2014
[N.B. In contrast to other unit statements, the above position states no confidence in the Chancellor's, President's, and Board of Trustees' handling of the Salaita case.]
2. DEPARTMENT OF URBAN & REGIONAL PLANNING
The faculty of the Department of Urban & Regional Planning (DURP) in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign considers the revocation of an offer of employment to Dr. Steven Salaita a violation of the principles of academic freedom, free speech, shared governance, and established hiring and academic promotion protocols at our institution. One does not need to agree with the substance of Dr. Salaita's comments, to be alarmed by recent decisions. DURP faculty firmly believe that the university must be a place where opposing points of view can be expressed; this belief is fundamental to what a world class university is built upon.
DURP faculty teach and research about the ways communities make decisions and distribute resources. We explore topics such as sustainability, environmental justice, neoliberal policies, land use development, poverty, segregation, exploitation of labor, climate change, old and new forms of apartheid, and abuse of police power. Research in our field routinely tackles question of injustice and discrimination, especially in minority and low-income communities. Studying the underlying forces such as power, greed, and racism, requires an open and supportive university environment. More importantly, if we want to attract and inspire students to work for justice and fairness, we need to show our own commitment to these principles. We shudder at the notion of the campus leadership and Board of Trustees exercising final decision making authority on who we hire to teach our students based on vague and politically malleable notions of civility.
In the words of Justice William Brennan, “Scholarship cannot flourish in an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust. Teachers and students must always remain free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and understanding; otherwise our civilization will stagnate and die.” Keyishian v Board of Regents, 385 U.S. 589, 684 (1967).
We express gratitude to Trustee Montgomery for respecting shared governance by trusting the hiring decisions made by the American Indian Studies faculty.
We hereby state our opposition to the decision to not hire Dr. Salaita by the Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, and the Board of Trustees, and voice great concern regarding the implications it has for the University of Illinois.
Passed by a majority of the DURP faculty.
October 13, 2014
The below is not a vote of no confidence but a statement written prior to any of the above "no confidence" votes.
Statement by the Executive Committee of the Center for South Asian and
Middle Eastern Studies on the Firing of Dr. Steven Salaita
We
are dismayed and disturbed over the unilateral revocation of Steven Salaita’s
contract by the University administration, without consulting the Department of
American Indian Studies, in which he was to be appointed, apparently on the basis of his open opposition to Israel’s military
onslaught against the civilian population in the besieged Palestinian Gaza.[1] This action is a breach of the
principles of shared governance and academic freedom, and its implications are
alarming. Irrespective
of one’s position on the conflict between Israel and Gaza, it is essential to
affirm academic freedom as the cornerstone of our scholarly vocation, without
which true critical inquiry ceases to exist.
We are deeply concerned about what such decisions will do to free and
frank scholarship on the Middle East on our campus in these critical times.
Political
views and comments expressed as a private citizen have nothing to do with one’s
competence and qualifications as a scholar. There is nothing anti-Semitic in
Dr. Salaita’s comments on Twitter; the targets of his criticisms are Israeli
Prime Minister Netanyahu, the illegal and unethical assault on Gaza, and those
who support it. There have been instances on our campus and elsewhere in which
ardent supporters of Israel have engaged in malicious and unethical actions in
order to suppress criticism of Israel and public revelation of the realities of
its policies in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank, policies
that violate international law and outrage moral conscience. The University of
Illinois must resist political pressures to silence voices of legitimate
outrage.
The firing of Steven
Salaita has aroused indignation among academics around the world. At least one senior scholar considered
cancelling plans to visit our campus, lest that visit be construed as an
endorsement of the University, and specifically of the firing of Dr. Salaita.
This indicates the potential repercussions of the University’s action for its
standing among academics worldwide. For
upper administration to rescind an offer that had been approved by an academic
unit and college sends a clear message: that the Chancellor’s office is willing
exert its power to suppress work valued by expert faculty. This administrative
oversight of opinion cannot but have a chilling effect, sending a clear message
that professional recognition on this campus is contingent upon the expression of
permissible thought. It is also in
direct opposition to the administration’s frequent proclamations that diversity
is a major value informing campus policy.
We call on the University to take the ethical and courageous stance of affirming the principles of academic freedom and shared governance by honorably reinstating Professor Salaita as Associate Professor in the Department of American Indian Studies, ensuring that the key principle in recruiting for our wonderful campus is not political views but academic qualifications.
[1]
Haaretz (http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/1.609279)
reports that the Wiesenthal Center protested the hiring of Dr. Salaita to
University of Illinois President Robert Easter (http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8125:wiesenthal-center-calls-ui-professors-controversial-twitter-posts-anti-semitic&catid=102:education&Itemid=285).
