Tag Archives: Ward Churchill

AAUP Unit Slams U. of Colorado Over Firings of 2 Controversial Faculty Members

The Chronicle: AAUP Unit Slams U. of Colorado Over Firings of 2 Controversial Faculty Members

The University of Colorado has been accused by that state’s affiliate of the American Association of University Professors of numerous violations of academic freedom and due process in its dismissals of two faculty members: Ward Churchill, a leftist ethnic-studies professor fired for alleged academic misconduct in the midst of a media firestorm over remarks he had made about the September 11 terrorist attacks; and Phil Mitchell, an adjunct history instructor whose contract was not renewed after he complained that his academic department was trying to oust him for his conservative views.

Ward Churchill loses appeal of his firing

Denver Post: Ward Churchill loses appeal of his firing

The Colorado Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court decision denying University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill’s effort to get his job back.

The court ruled that Denver District Judge Larry Naves was right to direct a verdict in favor of the university and to find that the university was entitled to “quasi-judicial immunity.”

CU asks court to bill Ward Churchill $52,000 for case fees

The Daily Camera: CU asks court to bill Ward Churchill $52,000 for case fees

The University of Colorado is asking for more than $52,000 from Ward Churchill to recover costs the school incurred fighting a lawsuit filed by the former ethnic studies professor.

The total tab, filed in Denver District Court last week, includes individual expenses ranging from $2 for courthouse parking to $22,095 for “in-trial video and visual exhibits.”

Churchill appeal says judge erred

Denver Post: Churchill appeal says judge erred
An accompanying affidavit states the jury wanted CU to rehire the ex-professor.

Ward Churchill continues fighting to get his job back in a new legal motion that says a Denver District Court judge erred when he ruled against reinstating the fired University of Colorado professor.

A juror who sat through Churchill’s civil case against the university submitted an affidavit to Chief Judge Larry Naves on Tuesday that said the jury wanted him to reinstate Churchill.

Colorado Judge Mugs Churchill

howtheuniversityworks: Colorado Judge Mugs Churchill

In my last column, I pointed out that the nationalist and “cultural capital” function of literature classes are in decline. With their tenure lines evaporating, many literature faculty are grasping at the claim that they teach “reading” and “thinking.”

CU billing Churchill for out-of-pocket legal expenses

Denver Post: CU billing Churchill for out-of-pocket legal expenses

The University of Colorado will bill Ward Churchill for more than $10,000 in out-of-pocket costs the school incurred while defending against his wrongful termination suit, the university’s lawyer said today.

Ward Churchill Gets Nothing

Inside Higher Ed: Ward Churchill Gets Nothing

The University of Colorado won just about everything it wanted, and Ward Churchill lost just about everything he wanted, in a ruling Tuesday by a state judge in Colorado.

Judge Rejects Ward Churchill’s Plea for Reinstatement, Vacates Verdict in His Favor

The Chronicle: Judge Rejects Ward Churchill’s Plea for Reinstatement, Vacates Verdict in His Favor

A state court judge on Tuesday not only denied Ward Churchill everything he sought in his long-running battle with the University of Colorado system, but also negated the one victory the controversial scholar had won so far: a jury verdict holding that system officials had violated his First Amendment rights by firing him from a job as a tenured ethnic-studies professor in response to statements he had made.

No job, no money for Churchill

Denver Post: No job, no money for Churchill

A judge has ruled that the University of Colorado doesn’t have to give controversial former professor Ward Churchill his job back, even though a jury found he was improperly fired.

Decision on Ward Churchill reinstatement next week

Daily Camera: Decision on Ward Churchill reinstatement next week

Chief Denver District Judge Larry Naves broke court for the day and asked the lawyers to submit final papers in the case on Thursday.

He said he would likely have a final ruling on whether Ward Churchill gets his job back by early next week.

Before court ended, Churchill attorney David Lane cross-examined CU Chancellor Phil DiStefano on the stand.

Ward Churchill Asks Judge to Order His Reinstatement at U. of Colorado

The Chronicle: Ward Churchill Asks Judge to Order His Reinstatement at U. of Colorado

With the support of two major faculty groups and a long list of scholars, Ward Churchill has formally asked a judge to order the University of Colorado to give him back his job as a tenured professor, arguing that only his reinstatement will repair the damage that his dismissal did to his reputation and the greater cause of academic freedom.

CU to ‘vigorously challenge’ Churchill’s reinstatement

Daily Camera: CU to ‘vigorously challenge’ Churchill’s reinstatement

BOULDER, Colo. — The University of Colorado will “vigorously challenge” Ward Churchill’s effort to get his job back in the school’s ethnic studies department, a CU spokesman said Thursday.

Ken McConnellogue, spokesman for the CU system, said the university is relying on its findings that Churchill engaged in repeated and flagrant academic misconduct to support its stance that having the controversial former professor back on the Boulder campus is a “bad idea.”

AAUP Council Backs Churchill’s Reinstatement

Inside Higher Ed: AAUP Council Backs Churchill’s Reinstatement

The National Council of the American Association of University Professors has issued a statement calling for the reinstatement of Ward Churchill by the University of Colorado. The statement, in its entirety, is this: “We believe the disputes over Ward Churchill’s publications should have been allowed to work themselves out in traditional scholarly venues, not referred to disciplinary hearings. We believe Churchill should be reinstated to his faculty position at the University of Colorado.” A Colorado jury last week found that the University of Colorado did not fire Churchill as an ethnic studies professor on the Boulder campus for legitimate reasons, but for his political views. A judge will later determine whether Churchill can return to his tenured job. Typically, AAUP’s academic freedom committee issues findings about cases involving claims of wrongful termination, but Nelson noted that the National Council from time to time speaks out on its own, as it did in this case. Churchill was fired after the university found that he had engaged in numerous instances of scholarly misconduct.

Churchill $1 award result of one juror

Denver Post: Churchill $1 award result of one juror
Five on the six-person jury wanted to give the fired professor more.

Five of six jurors favored awarding fired University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill as much as $110,000 or more — while a single juror insisted he get nothing, a juror and Churchill’s attorney said Friday.

Ward Churchill Redux

The New York Times: Ward Churchill Redux

By Stanley Fish

Last Thursday, a jury in Denver ruled that the termination of activist-teacher Ward Churchill by the University of Colorado had been wrongful (a term of art) even though a committee of his faculty peers had found him guilty of a variety of sins.

Ward Churchill’s $1 Damage Award Said to Have Been Product of Jury Compromise

The Chronicle News Blog: Ward Churchill’s $1 Damage Award Said to Have Been Product of Jury Compromise

Thursday’s jury verdict in Ward Churchill’s lawsuit against the University of Colorado has given rise to a mystery: How is it that a jury could rule that the university had acted illegally in firing Mr. Churchill, and yet still award him only $1 in damages?

Jury Says Ward Churchill Was Wrongly Fired

The New York Times: Jury Says Professor Was Wrongly Fired

DENVER — A jury found on Thursday that the University of Colorado had wrongfully dismissed a professor who drew national attention for an essay in which he called some victims of the Sept. 11 attacks “little Eichmanns.”

Ward Churchill, who was a tenured professor at the University of Colorado, left, walked with his lead attorney David Lane out of the courtroom after a jury ruled that he was wrongly fired by school administrators, on Thursday.

But the jury, which deliberated for a day and a half, awarded only $1 in damages to the former professor, Ward L. Churchill, a tenured faculty member at the university’s campus in Boulder since 1991 who was chairman of the ethnic studies department.

Amid Talk of High Ideals, Arguments Close in Ward Churchill’s Lawsuit

The Chronicle: Amid Talk of High Ideals, Arguments Close in Ward Churchill’s Lawsuit

The trial in Ward Churchill’s wrongful-dismissal lawsuit against the University of Colorado drew to a close on Wednesday with the embattled professor’s lawyer telling jurors that nothing less than the fate of the Constitution rested in their hands.

Churchill jury returns today

The Denver Post: Churchill jury returns today

A Denver jury will continue deliberating the fate of Ward Churchill’s civil case against the University of Colorado today after meeting for a half-day Wednesday without reaching a verdict.

The four women and two men listened to the case for four weeks and heard 45 witnesses testify in the courtroom of Denver Chief District Judge Larry J. Naves. Two male alternates were sent home after closing arguments Tuesday.

Ward Churchill Is Defiant in Second Day on Witness Stand

The New York Times: Fired Colorado Professor Is Cross-Examined in Lawsuit

DENVER — A former University of Colorado professor spent nearly six hours defending his scholarly work on Tuesday during cross-examination in his lawsuit contending that he was fired for an essay he wrote about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The Chronicle News Blog: Ward Churchill Is Defiant in Second Day on Witness Stand

Ward Churchill acknowledged some flaws in his scholarship, but strenuously denied that any merited his 2007 dismissal by the University of Colorado, in testimony delivered today in a trial in which he is attempting to prove that his firing violated his First Amendment rights.

The Denver Post: Churchill: Plagiarism occurred: But it wasn’t he who lifted from another prof’s essay, he asserts.

A juror’s question, posed Tuesday after former professor Ward Churchill had been on the witness stand for more than seven hours, gave him the opening to argue — succinctly — that he was the victim of his controversial views, not his scholarship.
The Denver Post: 2nd day on stand for Churchill

The Colorado Daily: Regent testimony closes out the day