Why did the University of Colorado rush to award Ward Churchill tenure back in 1991? Was it because the University of California system was courting him? According to a report in today’s Rocky Mountain News, that wasn’t the case at all, having interviewed an official who was in the know:
“He wasn’t really a serious candidate because of his lack of credentials,” said George Wayne, a former vice president for student academic services at California State University, Sacramento.
“The lack of a doctorate was one factor,” Wayne said Monday. “Also, he wasn’t writing learned articles – they were advocacy articles that could appear anywhere.”
California got it. So why couldn’t Colorado?
Wayne thinks CU officials were simply determined to hire an American Indian to teach ethnic studies.
“They thought Churchill was a hot prospect,” Wayne said. “He wasn’t that hot. The only place he was hot was at CU.”
So determined to hire an American Indian, they took someone of dubious heritage and credentials. Ouch. It keeps looking worse and worse for the university. Whatever the reasons, this kind of news certainly doesn’t help, either. I’m not so sure that any press is good press… not in this case.
If I am not mistaken didn’t Dr. Betsy Hoffman attempt the same sort of strong-arm payola stunt, claming the U of Penn wanted her, and was willing to put up $900,000 per year? And isn’t it also true it turns out she LIED?
Sounds like Ward is in good company.