Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, October 11, 2010

Blog U.: Deans and Free Speech - Confessions of a Community College Dean - Inside Higher Ed

Blog U.: Deans and Free Speech - Confessions of a Community College Dean - Inside Higher Ed

BlogU

  • Deans and Free Speech

    By Dean Dad October 11, 2010 9:40 pm EDT

    In a nutshell, this is why I write under a pseudonym. Apparently the University of Connecticut fired a dean who later claimed that his termination was due to his criticism of upper administration. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that even if the former dean’s account of the reasons for his termination were factually correct, the dean lacked first amendment protection and therefore lacked standing to challenge his termination. (To be fair, the Court did note that the dean couldn’t actually be jailed for his words, so at least there’s that.)

    Hmm.

    I file this one under “I know it sucks, but imagine the alternative.” Frustratingly, most of the