Jay RosenJul 21, 2023

Amazing story. Have you followed it?

Texas A&M announces a new journalism dean. She's black and she's qualified— and an alum of the school! Ex-New York Times too.

They announce her appointment in a splashy event.

Dark forces of reaction mobilize.

The offer is watered down to one year, with no tenure. She says no way, and withdraws. National news is made. It's negative. And today, the president of A&M resigns!

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/21/tamu-president-resign-journalism/

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/11/texas-a-m-kathleen-mcelroy-journalism/

#journalism #uspol #science

Texas A&M President Katherine Banks resigns amid fallout from failed hiring of journalism professor

“The recent challenges regarding Dr. McElroy have made it clear to me that I must retire immediately,” Banks wrote in her resignation letter. “The negative press is a distraction from the wonderful work being done here.”

The Texas Tribune
Show threadJay RosenJul 22, 2023

An even more incredible turn in the Texas A&M story, after the president of the University resigned July 20.

The current chair of the journalism department, who recruited Dr. McElroy, released a statement accusing the former president of rank duplicity.

More serious: he says someone altered the draft offer letter to reduce the McElroy appointment from five years to one, without telling him.

It's his signature on the letter.

Read his statement:

#journalism #uspol #texas #science

Show threadJust MeJul 22, 2023

@jayrosen_nyu

#AltText4You 1/8 image is a released statement, verbiage below:

FIRM CHER LAW

Principal Office 510 Austin Avenue, Suite 110 Waco, TX 76701 254.776.3939 National Capital 1629 K Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006 202.540.9950 Fax (all offices) 800-809-0473 Toll-free (all offices) 800-892-1506 DAVID R. SCHLEICHER (DC, TX, & WA) KRISTOFER R. SCHLEICHER (GA & TX)-Of Counsel-Fort Worth
WWW.GOV.LAW WWW.SMALLBIZ.LAW
www.CORPLAWFIRM.COM

Show threadJust MeJul 23, 2023

@jayrosen_nyu
#AltText4You 2/8

STATEMENT OF HART BLANTON, PH.D. AS TO NON-HIRING OF KATHLEEN MCELROY, PH.D.

July 21, 2023

Dr. Hart Blanton heads the Texas A&M University Department of Communication and Journalism. He makes the following statement in his personal capacity. He does not foresee offering further public comment on the situation and our firm has no comment to add to his. -David Schleicher (as his attorney).

Show threadJust MeJul 23, 2023
@jayrosen_nyu
#AltText4You 3/8
I am concerned that the public has been misled regarding some of the circumstances regarding the failed attempt to hire Dr. Kathleen McElroy as professor and director of the A&M journalism program. I also speak out to object to race having been a consideration in her treatment. These tragic events were inconsistent with the many professional, welcoming, and honest A&M faculty and administrators I know.
Show threadJust MeJul 23, 2023

@jayrosen_nyu
#AltText4You 4/8
The taxpayers, students, and regents have a right to know what happened at this publicly-funded school:

I initiated the recruitment of Dr. McElroy last year, in recognition of her excellence as a journalist, researcher, and educator. As an added bonus she is an A&M graduate. She applied to a job posted for a Professor and Director of Journalism, and we followed standard administrative procedures while conducting the search.

Show threadJust MeJul 23, 2023

@jayrosen_nyu
#AltText4You 5/8
The failed effort to hire Dr. McElroy is a great loss to A&M and surely caused her great unnecessary suffering.

Then-President M. Katherine Banks misled the Faculty Senate at its July 19 meeting when she represented that the decisionmaking that led to the crisis was at the department level. To the contrary, President Banks injected herself into the process atypically and early on.

Show threadJust MeJul 23, 2023
@jayrosen_nyu
#AltText4You 6/8
The unusual level of scrutiny being given to the hiring of Dr. McElroy was acknowledged by one administrator to have been based, at least in part, on race. Regardless of the source of any such pressure, I understand it to be illegal for any employer much less a public university to subject a job candidate to stricter scrutiny due to her race or color.
Show threadJust Me
@jayrosen_nyu
#AltText4You 7/8
I was shocked to learn an earlier draft of a job offer letter for Dr. McElroy was altered and sent to her without my advance knowledge. The altered draft retained my electronic signature, but reduced the appointment from an earlier-discussed multiyear term to one.
Jul 23, 2023 at 12:14amWeb
Show threadJust MeJul 23, 2023

@jayrosen_nyu
#AltText4You 8/8
⚫ On Thursday, July 21, 2023, I shared related materials with university legal staff. I was pleased to see that the President then resigned Friday, July 22. Texas A&M cannot have its leaders misleading the faculty, public, or policymakers about how we conduct business.

I request a full and independent investigation of these incidents be conducted, lest they be repeated.