More on the Indy Law Bradford Case
I’d seen memos that made me think Professor Bradford (see here for earlier posts) did not formally apply for tenure (or perhaps that he voluntarily withdrew his application), but a September 13 Frontpage article says he did apply and implies that he did not withdraw voluntarily.
I don’t know what to believe about that, but in any case it seems he has been told that he can now apply for tenure in the usual way. I applaud this. The Frontpage article is outraged that the usual people– the law faculty, the dean, etc.– will be allowed to vote, but that outrage is misplaced. It would be an outrage *not* to follow the usual procedures and let everyone have a voice. Keep in mind that the faculty vote, for example, is not binding. It is very common for people who get positive votes from their department to be denied tenure further along in the process, and it also happens sometimes that people who get negative votes are granted tenure. After the faculty, the Dean, an all-campus faculty committee, the Chancellor, the President, and the Trustees all have their say in the process, if it is like IU -Bloomington’s.
Here are some links from a student blog at Indy Law:
- on the July Star column
- July including an open letter from Professor Mitchell.
- September, a post with 354 comments.