University of California, Los Angeles: Professor Loses Teaching Position After Criticizing Administrators During Class

In June 2017, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) decided not to renew the contract of lecturer Keith Fink, claiming that he failed to meet the university’s standard of excellence. The letter notifying Fink of the non-renewal failed to provide specific justifications for the decision. However, in a teaching evaluation of Fink’s “Sex, Politics, and Race: Free Speech on Campus” class, Associate Professor and Vice Chair Greg Bryant criticized Fink’s in-class discussion of the perceived failures of UCLA administrators as a teaching tool. On August 4, FIRE wrote to UCLA Chancellor Gene Block asking for the university to explain how Fink’s in-class criticisms of administrators may have played a role in his non-renewal.