New Virginia Tech ‘Diversity’ Requirements for Tenure Violate Academic Freedom, Will Be Comprehensively Reviewed by Board of Visitors

BLACKSBURG, Va., April 6, 2009—After being alerted to mandatory "diversity" requirements for faculty tenure, promotion, and personal development, the Board of Visitors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) has agreed to fully review the school's tenure and diversity policies.

"Promoting one's own view of diversity is one thing, but making narrowly defined and politicized views about diversity an ideological requirement for faculty members is quite another," FIRE President Greg Lukianoff said. "Political litmus tests have no place in higher education and the Board of Visitors must help defend individual conscience and academic freedom at Virginia Tech."

Over the past three years, Virginia Tech's provost, Mark McNamee, has increasingly demanded ideological conformity in the form of "diversity accomplishments" from the school's faculty. Last year, in a memo to all department heads and promotion and tenure committees, he insisted that candidates for promotion or tenure "do a better job of participating in and documenting their involvement in diversity initiatives," noting that such participation is "especially important for candidates seeking promotion to full professor."

Last week, Virginia Tech's College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences (CLAHS) concluded voting on new rules for faculty merit raises, promotion, and tenure that would require faculty to demonstrate fealty to a highly politicized definition of diversity in their research, teaching, and personal enrichment activities. The results of the vote have not been made public.

CLAHS defines "diversity" as "the desirability and value of many kinds of individual differences while at the same time acknowledging and respecting that socially constructed differences based on certain characteristics exist within systems of power that create and sustain inequality, hierarchy, and privilege." The list of "diverse" characteristics ranges from race and gender to "body size and condition." Accordingly, CLAHS has pledged "to eliminate these forms of inequality, hierarchy, and privilege in our programs and practices."

"It boggles the mind that Virginia Tech does not seem to understand that some professors may object to the fact that they are being evaluated by how seriously they pledge to fight for the elimination of ‘inequality based on body size.' Are they really saying that one cannot be a good literature professor without believing that fighting anti-fat-ism is worthwhile?" Lukianoff asked. "Academic freedom means the freedom to differ on issues that cut to the heart of even the most dearly held beliefs. If Virginia Tech cannot even tolerate heretical views on ‘body size,' academic freedom is certainly in grave danger."

FIRE wrote Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger on March 25 about this ideological litmus test and demanded that the school's policies be revised to accord with faculty members' First Amendment right to freedom of conscience. After the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) wrote the school's entire Board of Visitors, including FIRE's letter and requesting a full review, the Board's Rector, John R. Lawson, II, notified ACTA on April 1 that the Board would fully review Virginia Tech's diversity and tenure policies university-wide.

"Virginia Tech is forcing faculty members to agree with specific political views in order to succeed in their profession," Adam Kissel, Director of FIRE's Individual Rights Defense Program, said. "Virginia Tech is free to promote diversity, but not to mandate ideological commitments in faculty review dossiers. It is a shame that the Board of Visitors must step in to protect the faculty from these violations of their rights."

FIRE is a nonprofit educational foundation that unites civil rights and civil liberties leaders, scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals from across the political and ideological spectrum on behalf of individual rights, due process, freedom of expression, academic freedom, and rights of conscience at our nation's colleges and universities. FIRE's efforts to preserve liberty at Virginia Tech and on campuses across America can be viewed at thefire.org.

Help FIRE defend liberty on campus! E-mail Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger at president@vt.edu to let him know what you think about the "diversity" requirements that violate the faculty's academic freedom and freedom of conscience. Or use FIRE's new Take Action e-mail form to get the message across.

CONTACT:

Adam Kissel, Director, FIRE's Individual Rights Defense Program: 215-717-3473; adam@thefire.org

Charles W. Steger, President, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: 540-231-6231; president@vt.edu

John R. Lawson, II, Rector, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Board of Visitors: 540-231-6231; bov@vt.edu