June 6, 2008

Closely Watched Tenure Case at Columbia U. Is Still Unsettled

By ROBIN WILSON and RICHARD BYRNE

After provost rejects his bid, a professor of Middle East studies awaits the verdict of a new review panel

The news appeared in the blogosphere last fall: Columbia University had reportedly denied the tenure bid of Joseph A. Massad, a Palestinian-American scholar.

"Raise your cup," Paula Stern, a Jewish-American who blogs from Israel, wrote last November. "Joseph Massad will not remain at Columbia University."

But seven months later, Mr. Massad — an associate