Chancellor Phyllis M. Wise apologized to the Senate Executive Committee for the handling of the Steven Salaita appointment and promised to lead a campus conversation to help heal any faculty divisions caused by the incident.
The chancellor said that by penning a letter directly to Salaita informing him his appointment would not be recommended to the U. of I. Board of Trustees, she hadn’t followed her own “normal campus consultative process.”
Wise offered a detailed timeline of the events leading to the board’s decision last week officially rejecting Salaita’s
appointment.
She said part of her reasoning for contacting Salaita prior to the board discussion was due to bad timing – considering the semester was ready to start and the board did not meet until Sept. 11.
She said she already had approved the initial recommendation by the American Indian Studies Program, but after further consultation with President Bob Easter, she and the president reached a consensus that the board would likely not support the appointment. The board eventually voted 8-1 to not appoint Salaita.
The chancellor said the intent of the letter was to inform Salaita that his application for a faculty appointment had been denied prior to his making plans to move to the area.
Claims that the Salaita decision was made to please unhappy donors are untrue, she said.
“This decision was not made with that in mind,” she said, and neither did the reported content of Salaita’s online comments have bearing on her decision.
Wise said she will continue to meet with campus constituents to discuss her reasoning for the decision, how the appointment process can improve in the future, and whether academic freedom or freedom of speech issues were involved. So far, she has met with representatives of several colleges, as well as with department committees, student groups and individuals to engage them in discussion.
“I have learned so much, but I think we have something to learn from each other,” she said.
The full senate will discuss the Salaita issue at its meeting at 3:10 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Levis Center. Senators went to great lengths to prioritize the agenda to ensure adequate time for anyone wishing to speak.
Roy Campbell, a professor of computer science and SEC chair, said he hoped the discussion would lead to an end of the divisiveness that has gripped the campus since several units took votes of no-confidence in the chancellor and her handling of the affair.
Despite the disagreements, “we shouldn’t let those differences keep us from doing the work of the university,” Campbell said. “We have to seek ways to bring the campus community back together.”
Senator Nicholas Burbules, a professor of education policy, organization and leadership, said Wise’s detractors should reconsider their approach, considering a no-confidence vote is akin to impeachment and reserved for incompetent leaders or those who willingly break a law.
“I think there’s a real misunderstanding and confusion about what a vote of no-confidence means,” he said.
David O’Brien, the chair of the senate’s Academic Freedom and Tenure committee, said the committee would review the Salaita case and present its findings in a report to the SEC and then to the senate at a later date.
“I can guarantee you, it will be an impartial investigation,” he said.
The SEC also has a task force studying the campus system used for appointing tenured faculty members, to determine whether changes in university statutes are needed.
Other items to be discussed at the Sept. 22 senate meeting:
- A proposal to endorse the creation of an Urbana campus college of medicine
- A proposal to change the name of the Institute for Genomic Biology to the Carle R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, in honor of the legendary campus researcher who discovered a third form of life
- A resolution on uniform pay for specialized faculty members
- A resolution on the SEC resolution on ad hoc committee formation
