Fired CU professor responds

Slapstick Politics: "Ousted CU professor Phil Mitchell sends a letter to the CU GOP." Mitchell begins:

A few weeks ago the new director of my program at CU—The Sewall ResidentialAcademic Program—confirmed that she would not be renewing my contract at CU. So I have been fired. The process that was begun two years ago is now complete. At that time I alleged my firing was motivated by hostility toward me as a political and religious conservative. I am certain this is still the motive.

In the past year the History Department at CU sent two professors into my classroom who gave me negative teaching reviews. Then the new director of the Sewall program did the same. It was as though they working off the same template. These negative evaluations were sent to the Dean of Arts and Sciences as justification for my firing, in spite of the following:

Break! Most of the "following" are reminders of the absolutely tons of teaching awards Mitchell has won. But, as PB points out, it's odd that Mitchell is so vague about just what the "specific criteria" (as CU spokesgink Bronson Hilliard called them) the two teachers found him short on were. (CU, of course, wouldn't be able to say).

Whatever happens with Professor Mitchell (who as an instructor apparently has zilch recourse), this Camera article reminds us of a very bad idea being pushed by another CU instructor, Don Eron, who

is heading a movement to extend tenure to all faculty members at the university who have taught for seven years.

He said educators need job security so they will not be punished for challenging students with different viewpoints.

"If Mitchell is being persecuted for his beliefs, that's outrageous, and it is why we need 'instructor tenure,'" Eron said.

Terrible idea (insert link to Try-Works here). CU is such a screwed-up school.