April 6, 2001

David Noble Says His Anti-Technology Views Cost Him a Job; Schism in New Mexico State's English Dept. Prompts a Faculty Exodus

By JEFFREY R. YOUNG and SCOTT SMALLWOOD

ACCESS DENIED: Last month, a faculty search committee at Simon Fraser University gave David Noble, a professor of history at York University, in Toronto, the nod to hold the J. S. Woodsworth Chair in the Humanities. A dean has now rejected that recommendation, and Mr. Noble, an outspoken critic of distance education, is accusing university officials of blocking his appointment because of his anti-technology beliefs.

"We were intrigued by David's contemporary critique of science and