The university, at the center of a national firestorm in 2007 over the tenure denial of a high-profile Israeli-Palestinian scholar, once again finds itself embroiled in controversy over its tenure process. The university is now facing claims of racism and racial bias after it denied tenure to six professors — two Blacks, two Asian-Americans and two Latinos — but accepted all of the White tenure applicants.
Faculty and students have rallied in recent months on behalf of two of the minority tenure candidates, both of whom appealed their denial decisions: Dr. Namita Goswami, an Indian-born philosopher, and Dr. Quinetta Shelby, an award-winning African-American chemist. In both cases, a faculty appeals board recommended the decisions be reversed.
