Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Victory for free speech: Prof in Arizona "George Washington prayer" case keeps job


Last November, Professor Walter Kehowski, a tenured staff member, e-mailed George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving prayer to other employees at Arizona's Glendale Community College.

Some faculty members objected, partly because the link he sent was from Pat Buchanan's web site--and they offended parties didn't like Buchanan's views on immigration.

Kehowski, a mathematics professor, was suspended by the school, and faced possible termination.

This case is a bit complicated, as Kehowski had sent out similar e-mails in the past--and he had been told to stop. Like most large organizations, GCC has a policy against such spamming, but it appears only Kehowski was threatened with the loss of his job over the electronic missives. In other words, they zeroed in on the math professor.

But with the help of FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Kehowski will be back at Glendale Community College this fall. Terms of the settlement are confidential, but the professor is pleased with the outcome.

Related post:

Ariz. professor may be fired for e-mailing George Washington's Thanksgiving address: UPDATED

Thanks for the link: Solomonia

Technorati tags:

No comments: