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June 09, 2007
DePaul Statement on Finkelstein Tenure Decision
DePaul University Statement on the Tenure and Promotion Decision Concerning Professor Norman Finkelstein
06.08.2007
DePaul University confirms that it informed Professor Norman Finkelstein today that Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, C.M., DePaul president, upheld a recommendation by the University Board on Promotion and Tenure (UBPT) - the final stage in the faculty review process - to deny his application for tenure and promotion.
Granting tenure equates to a guarantee of lifetime employment, and the same standards are applied to all faculty members under consideration. In every case, the final decision is one of balancing the various arguments for and against tenure. The tenure process, which is detailed in DePaul's Faculty Handbook, involves a rigorous review of each applicant's scholarship, service and teaching, with the recommendations at each level forwarded up to the next level for consideration. It is an evaluation of faculty by faculty.
In Professor Finkelstein's case, a faculty committee of the Department of Political Science voted in favor of tenure, submitting statements for the majority and minority, with a response from the majority. The Personnel Committee for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences then voted to support tenure and promotion, with reservations that it asked the college dean to note in his report. Subsequently, the college's dean issued a written opinion against tenure and the UBPT voted against tenure. The UBPT report and materials from the lower committees were forwarded to the president for review. As in all cases of tenure, the final decision was made by the president.
Fr. Holtschneider said, "According to DePaul's Faculty Handbook, the president can overturn the UBPT's recommendation in rare circumstances and for compelling reasons. I find no compelling reasons here to overturn the UBPT's decision."
Fr. Holtschneider continued, "Over the past several months, there has been considerable outside interest and public debate concerning this decision. This attention was unwelcome and inappropriate and had no impact on either the process or the outcome of this case."
He added, "Some will consider this decision in the context of academic freedom. In fact, academic freedom is alive and well at DePaul. It is guaranteed both as an integral part of the University's scholarly and religious heritage, and as an essential condition of effective inquiry and instruction. On a daily basis, DePaul faculty and students explore the most important ideas of our time, including difficult and contentious issues, and they do so in ways that adhere to professional standards of academia and respect the dignity and worth of each individual."
Posted by at June 9, 2007 07:30 PM
Comments
Alan Dershowitz worked very hard to silence Professor Finkelstein and his criticism of Israel. Once again the Zionists have suppressed the voice of dissent against the crimes of the State of Israel. This story should be a post script in the book "They Dare to Speak Out" by Paul Findley.
Posted by: carole ryden at June 9, 2007 11:23 PM
The final paragraph rambling about "academic freedom is alive and well" was such a joke, it didnt make any sense. All those who are really interested in academic freedom can hope for now is that this scandal can get some media attention.
Posted by: sam miller at June 10, 2007 03:46 AM
Finkelstein isn't surpressed in the least, he just isn't tenured. Only someone with an hysterical inability to reason would draw a different conclusion. But this is typical of those who hate Israel. Anti-Zionists love to cry how oppressed and censored they are while they simultaenously are all over the press, have top selling books and can be seen on the most popular news shows (e.g Carter). I'm sure Finkelstein will continue to write more books, articles and make speeches about the "evils" of Israel. Unfortunately, there has been a large market for this for almost three millenium.
Posted by: Max at June 10, 2007 03:54 AM
Simply unbelievable. On what grounds could they have denied Finkelstein tenure? Lack of publications? Lack of impact on the intellectual community? May Finkestein live long, continue his prolific writing and public speaking, receive tenure from a superior institution, and let DePaul fall into the disrepute they have earned for themselves.
Posted by: Lisa McCusker at June 10, 2007 01:07 PM
I guess DePaul decided that having an "impact" by spewing out hateful and childish insults at all who disagree with ones own outlandish opinions is not enough of a reason to grant tenure to somebody.
Posted by: jones at June 10, 2007 08:12 PM
Anybody who actively supports neo-Nazi groups like Hibullah should never have been teaching at any university. Unfortunately bigots like Finkelstein are hired as professors in the first place. This give all decent people hope for the American education system.
Posted by: Anonymous at June 11, 2007 12:35 AM
DePaul President said he could find no compelling reason to overturn the negative decision of the Univ Bd. on Promotion & Tenure.
However, BOTH the relevant Departments AND the
COllege of Arts & Sciences, who were MOST familiar with the work and effectiveness of Prof.
Finkelstein as a teacher - gave positive recommendations. Did the President find compelling reasons to oveturn THEIR POSITVE
recommendations? What were these compelling reasons ? It is ovvious that DePaul caved-in to
the hatchet men of the Israeil lobby and we are well on our way to a new era of McCarthyism on the campuses. Call me a self-hating Jew.
Posted by: greeneagle at June 11, 2007 07:29 PM
True, Greeneagle. Those pesky Zionists were clever enough to manipulate DePaul's Catholics into setting up a multi-tiered tenure process where the board makes the final recommendation and the president makes the final decision. Very clever, Zionists, very clever indeed.
p.s. you're forgetting that the Arts and Sciences dean recommended against tenure.
p.p.s I like your "hatchet men" reference. Very Finkelsteinian.
Posted by: jones at June 11, 2007 09:43 PM
I'm with Carole! Those diabolical jews constantly working behind the scenes to manipulate world events, scheming and plotting and using the Holocaust as a tool for more of their scheming and plotting and...
"what was that?"
"Really? I didn't know"
"we use what now? Oh. O.k."
I'm with Carole. Those diabolical zionists.........
Posted by: Richard at June 15, 2007 09:54 AM
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