hmm? makes me curious

While this definitely looks bad for the institution, it's also possible that Mr. Sadid behaved poorly. I have seen cases where an institution retaliated against someone who brought a suit, but I've also seen cases where someone brings a suit in order to create an environment where an institution would be leery of engaging in a normal disciplinary process for fear of appearing to be retaliating. Unfortunately, this article doesn't provide enough information to corroborate either hypothesis, and the two could be entirely unrelated.

Looks like the hardball tactics at ASU used by Michael Crow. When he wants someone out, he fires them. There is an interesting article in the August issue of Phoenix Magazine that talks about Crow's unapologetic bigotry at ASU and Columbia. At a time when the state of Arizona is bleeding cash, Crow spends tens of thousands of dollars to get rid of people he doesn't like.

As a current doctoral student at Idaho State, I have only outside knowledge (most of it heresay)of the issues, but I do know that this is a years-long feud between this particular professor and the university. It extends well back before the current president and his administration, which is only in its fifth or sixth year. The actions of the new administration have exacerbated the issues as Idaho State has experienced significant ideological change with a new president, a new provost, an almost completely new contingent of vice-presidents, and an entirely new collection of deans.

Unless something terrible occurred that is an unknown, firing this person should become a national issue. We seem to have a competent faculty member who is outspoken with extremely unpopular views. Nevertheless his record shows that he is fulfilling his responsibilities well as a teacher-scholar. A court judgment that approved of malcontent administrators firing such a person would be a case that effectively takes tenure away from most of the nation's faculty.

While it is hard to know details, I found that some of these folks have been in The Chronicle before. (Chronicle issue of September 21, 2007, "When Research Criticizes an Industry"
by Blumenstyk.) It reveals a bit about how that particular president operates. ISU lost the researcher noted in the article, and a little work revealed this case as one in a string of talent losses in a brief time since this administration has controlled the campus. This administration seems to have designated several in some public forum or another as their problem, but these same individuals seem to have been well respected by about everyone else, and they soon got better positions elsewhere. This looks more and more like talent being driven away through control and intimidation. It certainly seems the case here that Sadid's colleagues are too terrified to say anything, even though they did not seemingly initiate this suspension.

This particular professor seems to have a long history of going beyond social norms as an outspoken critic of both administrations. He also has a strong record of service to the university, is recognized by the university itself as one of their strongest teachers and, if the web info is accurate, is successful in getting research funding--probably more than most at a 4th tier school. His own profession has been repeatedly putting him into elected office--something that does not follow logically as a record of a person who is habitually obnoxious and unable to get along.

Watch this one.