Tenure Racial Controvery at MIT

[Pangloss]

Interesting article about a tenure controversy allegedly over race at MIT.

 

The black professor in question was apparently denied tenure two years ago, and his contract runs out on June 30th. Another black professor is resigning in protest. The professor in question has been asking for a tenure review. He went on a hunger strike earlier in protest.

 

Sherley, the professor who was denied tenure, is an opponent of embryonic stem cell research (he conducts his own research on adult stem cells). Certainly not a very politically correct position in academia or research these days! But he insists that the reason for his denial of tenure was his race. Interesting.

 

More info:

Article on Sherley in the Wikipedia.

MIT's profile of Sherley (has specifics on his research focus).

Web site following the controversy (clear pro-Sherley bias, but includes some info on overall racial minority faculty tenure at MIT).

 

I'd add my opinion to this but I can't see that I have enough information here to warrant forming one. I do think it's interesting that we can't seem to move beyond this stuff, and while I have an open mind about it I do find it hard to imagine an institution like MIT actually practicing institutional racism in this day and age. Don't they want the best people they can possibly get, regardless of race?

 

Is it possible the guy just doesn't warrant tenure at that august institution?

[Sisyphus]

The whole thing is so bizarre. I can't think of any institution less likely to have institutionalized racism than MIT. And surely at this "august institution," as you put it, one doesn't need to display particular incompetence to legitimately be denied tenure. Although, frankly, the things we do about him, that his reaction to being denied tenure is to accuse his entire committee of racism and going on a hunger strike, does not particularly inspire confidence. I mean, imagine the stuff he'd pull if he actually had tenure...

[Pangloss]

Although, frankly, the things we do about him, that his reaction to being denied tenure is to accuse his entire committee of racism and going on a hunger strike, does not particularly inspire confidence. I mean, imagine the stuff he'd pull if he actually had tenure...

 

Interesting point!

[Severian]

I also can't imagine that race was an issue. It is much much more likely to have been a personality clash. I have certainly overlooked people in job applications who are really great physicists simply because I don't like them and would not like working with them. I think that seems a much more likely explanation.

 

Also, in what sense is he 'prominent' if he doesn't have tenure yet?