In UC, Some Are Academically Freer Than Others

In the wake of the re-hiring of Erwin Chemerinsky as founding dean of the UC Irvine Law School, much has been made of academic freedom. Indeed, Chemerinsky has said academic freedom will be a cornerstone of the new law school.

That's terrific, and I'm sure Chemerinsky will do everything in his power to ensure that is so.

Perhaps Prof. Chemerinsky could put in a call to his left-wing brethren at UC Davis, who have successfully mau-maued the UC Regents into uninviting former Harvard President and former Clinton Administration Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers as speaker at their Board dinner tomorrow night -- replacing him with Schwarzenegger chief-of-staff Susan Kennedy.

Summers' offense? He has suggested that innate differences in men and women might have something to do with their comparative numbers in the fields of math, science and engineering. Apparently, one can take this academic freedom thing only so far.

Conservatives in OC and across the nation spoke out against the firing of Chemerinsky. Anyone willing to lay odds we'll see a similar chorus of from the Left in Summers' defense?

H/T to new FR Blogger Matt Rexroad, who posted an excellent analysis and urged Chemerinsky to "celebrate "academic freedom" by asking Summers to be the first commencement speaker for the UC Irvine School of Law."

I second the motion.

Comments

[d'Anconia]

Amen, great analysis on Matt's part.

[Bladerunner]

I agree with you Jubal. Academic freedom is a two way street. And maybe SUmmers wouldn't have been MY first choice for dinner speaker nor Cherminiski Jubal's first choice for UCI dean but once invited and offered, breaking the deal is a non-starter for an institution committed to academic freedom.

It's ironic that Matt Rexroad posted this on Flashreport given that John Fleishman yesterday was still adament that academic freedom be watered down with a political litmus test that would keep out a Cherminisky from UCI and I assume someone like a John Eastman from Hastings.

[d'Anconia]

BR-

Jon is entitled to his own opinion, as is Rexroad. If anything, it goes to show the range of opinions between FR bloggers, and their freedom to express those opinions.

[Bladerunner]

Good point dA---and I didn't mean to suggest they shouldn't. Matt is a good guy from what I get from some of my friends in norte california.

I just thought it was ironic given how hopped up Jon was yesterday on Warren Olney's show. Never meant to imply that Flashreport commentators don't have the freedom to pop off just like those on Liberal OC and OC Blog.

[d'Anconia]

Ok, right on :)