The faculty assembly at the University of California at San Diego has voted overwhelmingly to express “grave concern” that a dean there violated academic freedom by ordering a sociology professor not to publish a paper critical of a colleague, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. In 2009, Jeff Elman, dean of the university’s division of social sciences, told Richard Biernacki, a professor of sociology, he would face discipline if he sought publication of a manuscript criticizing a departmental colleague and others in his field, the newspaper reports. In a letter, Mr. Elman told Mr. Biernacki he was concerned the manuscript would damage reputations and its publication would be considered “harassment.” Mr. Elman did not respond to requests for comment on the incident, the newspaper says. In the resolution passed this week in response to a faculty committee’s investigation of the matter, the representative assembly of the university’s Academic Senate called on the administration to promptly acknowledge a violation of academic freedom and take steps to better train university employees so academic freedom will be respected.
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