Northeastern Illinois University is on the hunt for a new provost. The last one, Lawrence Frank, stepped down late last year after an earlier faculty vote of no confidence in the school’s two top administrators—himself and president Sharon K. Hahs. Hahs remains, but the job description posted for Frank’s replacement suggests the turmoil she continues to face. NEIU’s looking for a provost who will “move the culture of the institution to one that is more collaborative and collegial.”
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The culture makeover has been in the works since Hahs was hired in 2007. In her second year on the job she attempted to put in place a free-speech-zone policy that would have severely restricted the times and locations of demonstrations (political or otherwise) and required administrative approval for nearly any public expression of opinion. The proposal elicited an uproar, and Hahs withdrew it before it was implemented, but it’s become a symbol of what many see as a top-down administration determined to put a lid on free speech and dissent.
Most recently, an unusual case of tenure denial for well-regarded linguistics professor John Boyle and a pair of decisions in two high-profile lawsuits brought by justice studies professor Loretta Capeheart have the American Association of University Professors and other academic-freedom watchdogs on the scene.
Meanwhile, NEIU has been carrying on a four-year legal battle with Capeheart, who sued in both federal and state court, charging defamation and retaliation toward her for publicly criticizing NEIU’s faculty hiring practices and for antiwar activities, including speaking up for students arrested during a military recruitment event on campus. In the course of that battle, NEIU has employed two legal arguments that looked like they could seriously chill free speech on campuses and beyond.
Capeheart has filed an appeal.
