UIUC Report Condemns Dismissal of Steven Salaita

The Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has just issued a subcommittee “Report on the Investigation into the Matter of Steven Salaita.” The Report (see full PDF here) is a powerful critique of how the University of Illinois administration and trustees dealt with the Salaita case. The Report argues that Salaita was protected under the University Statutes, and that the “civility” reasons given for dismissing him by the Chancellor, President, and Trustees “should be renounced.” The Report concludes by calling for a committee of qualified academic experts to reconsider Salaita’s case. Here’s the full Executive Summary:

Steven Salaita’s proposed appointment was initiated, reviewed, approved, and processed in accordance with all applicable university procedures from the initiation of the search through his acceptance of an offer of appointment. It was complete except for final Board of Trustees approval. At that point, less than a month…