URBANA, Ill. (AP) — Leaders at the University of Illinois hope to persuade a national academic group to back away from its vote to censure the school over a hiring decision.
Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson told The News-Gazette on Monday that she and university President Timothy Killeen recently met with leaders of 41 academic departments who want Steven Salaita hired. The university last year rescinded an offer to hire him as a professor after his sometimes-profane posts on Twitter complaining about Israeli treatment of Palestinians.
The American Association of University Professors in June took the fairly unusual step of censuring the university over that decision.
Wilson said she plans to talk with AAUP officials about removal of the censure, too.
The soonest the group could take that step would be next summer.
