The recent termination of Dr. Maura Finkelstein, an anthropologist and tenured member at Muhlenberg College, is reverberating through academic institutions throughout the US and rightfully so as it raises serious concerns about academic freedom everywhere. The American Anthropological Association is horrified, but not surprised, that the first scholar with tenure to be fired for an issue concerning academic freedom is an anthropologist.
Anthropology, as a discipline, is both demanding and transformative. At the heart of anthropological knowledge is open inquiry that illuminates the patterns and processes of culture, past and present. We push boundaries and engage with difficult and often controversial subjects which challenge us all—students, faculty, and society alike—to think critically about our world. That process can be uncomfortable, but it is also essential to the academic enterprise and to the pursuit of knowledge. We recognize the challenges inherent in navigating such complex issues, but this is precisely why it is so important to protect spaces where inquiry can flourish.
Academic freedom is the lynchpin to open inquiry and essential for researchers, teachers, and students to advance the purpose of institutions of higher education, including Muhlenberg College, in serving the common good. We adhere to the American Association of University Professors’ (AAUP) Statement on Academic Freedom, which also recognizes that “the common good depends on the free search” for knowledge and its free exposition.
We are also deeply troubled by the process by which Muhlenberg terminated Dr. Finkelstein. According to the AAUP, it “appears that the Muhlenberg administration has not followed its own regulations regarding dismissal or incorporated a crucial element in the AAUP’s understanding of academic due process—that a dismissal action must be preceded by an adjudicative hearing before an elected faculty body in which the administration bears the burden of demonstrating just cause for dismissal.” In addition, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) said they had received complaints, but added Muhlenberg had not produced evidence showing how Finkelstein had created a hostile student environment. The OCR also did not recommend that Muhlenberg fire Finkelstein.
Equally troubling is the dangerous precedent this sets. Muhlenberg’s choice to give students the power to get a professor fired because she tried to disrupt their assumptions about the world should terrify every tenured Professor. Campaigns by people inside and outside universities are now a sanctioned tactic to get rid of teachers for their views or for challenging students’ views.
The pattern of recent events in the United States indicate a gathering storm that threatens the academic freedom of anthropologists and other academics. The AAA is especially firm in our belief that decisions around tenure and termination must be guided by a clear commitment to scholarly merit and the principles of academic freedom. Professors should be free from intimidation when offering professional opinions on subjects in which they are expert. The freedom to explore, express, and even challenge prevailing ideas, especially when they are difficult or controversial, is fundamental to the health of academic institutions like Muhlenberg College.
We deeply value the tradition of open inquiry, a value we know Muhlenberg College shares. The need for critical scholarship and its free expression is urgent and enduring, and we call on Muhlenberg to preserve, protect, and promote academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas.