Think tenure protects you? With wealthy donors and less public funding, think again

By Denise Cummins. During the height of Israeli’s air war against Gaza this summer, Salaita’s tweets about the conflict (some with “vulgar and inflammatory language,” according to the Chicago Tribune) caught the attention of his new employer. The chancellor didn’t think the trustees would approve his appointment, and she’d heard from several donors who said they wouldn’t be giving if Salaita joined the faculty. The university maintains that Salaita didn’t yet have tenure because he hadn’t started the job, and the trustees have stood behind the chancellor, saying the school “values civility as much as scholarship.” More...