SLA terrorist won't be teaching at Univ. of Illinois any more

University of Illinois Student Union

There is some rare good news for the cause of sanity at our so-called institutions of higher education.

Convicted murderer and armed robber James Kilgore, a former member of the Symbionese Liberation Army, which is best known for kidnapping Patty Hearst in the 1970s, won't be teaching any more at my alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

From the News-Gazette:

Campus officials reportedly informed Kilgore, a Global Studies lecturer and part-time staff member with the Center for African Studies, they would not renew his contract for the coming academic year. His contract ends Aug. 15.

Kilgore did not immediately respond to a phone call and campus spokeswoman Robin Kaler declined to discuss details.

"It's a personnel matter," she said.

Kilgore's supporters are sharply criticizing the administration's decision, saying it was made in response to political pressure and not based on the academic's performance. Today the American Association of University Professors, the national group that defends academic freedom cases, sent a letter to Chancellor Phyllis Wise outlining concerns about Kilgore's nonreappointment. Associate secretary Anita Levy said she was "troubled" by the sequence of events.

Academic freedom? Wake up, eggheads. Kilgore's credentials for his U of I teaching job included scholarly work produced under an assumed name while he was an FBI fugitive.

Good riddance.

Related post:

Ex-Symbionese Liberation Army terrorist on University of Illinois faculty