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Tenure Denied over Topic of Research
By Anita Levy
When John Lewis, an assistant professor in the Department of History and Political Science at Ashland University, applied for tenure in fall 2006, he received the enthusiastic support of colleagues in his department. Nonetheless, his application for tenure was denied in early 2007 after the administration decided that his work failed to support the university's mission. While members of the administration acknowledged that Lewis's portfolio exceeded the stated requirements for tenure at Ashland, they were particularly disturbed by his writings that, in their view, "advocate[d] for Objectivist views," referring to Ayn Rand's philosophy of individualism, which they considered alien to the Judeo-Christian values upheld by the university and its founding organization, the Brethren Church. Ashland's 2002 mission statement reads in part, "Judeo-Christian values are the foundation of the educational and social environment of the University and shape the character of the institution. Members of the University community focus on intellectual, spiritual, cultural, physical, and social development for the purpose of leading meaningful lives in the world community."
The administration five years earlier had accepted a $100,000 gift from the Anthem Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship to establish the Anthem Fellowship for the Study of Objectivism (similar programs were established at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Pittsburgh). The agreement between Ashland and the foundation stipulated that Lewis was to be one of the initial holders of the fellowship. Its purpose was to enable the professor to pursue research and writing on Rand's philosophy by funding release time from teaching.
Lewis appealed the tenure denial on several grounds, most importantly that the decision violated his academic freedom, a charge strongly supported by the appeals committee, which recommended that Ashland's president reconsider the decision. Lewis and administration officials subsequently reached a settlement under which he received tenure and promotion to associate professor of history and payment of his attorney's fees in return for his resignation effective at the end of the 2007–08 academic year; Lewis will spend the year on an externally funded research leave.
Although a settlement was reached, a basic question remains unanswered. Was the administration troubled by Lewis's having been perceived to be an advocate for objectivism, or because he conducted research in this area? If the former, then this required an explanation as to why advocacy of objectivism was deemed unacceptable under the university's mission statement. If the latter, and the administration had switched from its earlier position to maintaining that simply engaging in the study of objectivism was unacceptable, then, says Jonathan Knight, director of the AAUP's Department of Academic Freedom and Tenure, "this position would have disturbing ramifications for academic freedom."
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