MIT prof resigns to protest colleague's tenure denial
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. --A prominent Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor has resigned to protest the university's treatment of a colleague who held a 12-day hunger strike after claiming he was denied tenure because he is black, school officials said.
Frank Douglas, executive director of the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation, wrote in an e-mail obtained by The Boston Globe that he will leave the university at the end of the month because of MIT's refusal to reconsider its decision not to grant James Sherley tenure.
MIT said in a statement it "deeply regrets" Douglas' decision.
Sherley, a stem cell biologist, is scheduled to leave the university June 30 when his faculty appointment expires, but he said Sunday he will not leave until MIT re-examines his case.
Sherley was turned down for tenure two years ago when his department head did not nominate him. He claimed racism. MIT officials denied that the allegation.
Sherley held a 12-day fast in February to focus attention on "issues of equity, diversity and justice at MIT and in higher education."
Douglas, who is also black, said in his e-mail dated June 1 that the university reneged on an agreement with Sherley to arbitrate the dispute.
"Frankly, I am so astonished that the Institute did not resolve this issue that it leaves me to believe that the desire to do this was and is lacking," read the e-mail.
The school said it never agreed to revisit Sherley's tenure application.
"We believe (Douglas') decision is based on inaccurate information, and we sincerely hope that once we have an opportunity to meet with him and clarify the facts, he will reconsider his decision," the university's statement said.
A special committee created to examine Sherley's tenure review found no evidence of discrimination.
Sherley learned about Douglas' e-mail Friday.
"This is a courageous act by someone who has a lot of character and concern for African-American faculty," he said. "And it raises the broader issue of why this administration treats African-American faculty members differently than others."
Douglas said in a statement on Monday he was not making a judgment on whether Sherley should receive tenure.
"The issue is one of process and environment: why has this great institution not been able to find an elegant, mutually acceptable solution for a problem that affects not only Professor Sherley, but potentially can impact every present and future minority faculty member? It seems to me that a great institution like MIT should be able to find an exemplary and mutually acceptable solution, particularly in a case that has been so publicly argued. As a human being and a minority, it is difficult for me to accept such an environment," he said.
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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe 