About 100 students held a protest demonstration last night at Marquette University in Milwaukee, after the Jesuit school withdrew an offer to hire a lesbian dean who had written academic works on gender and sexual orientation.
Seattle University professor Jodi O’Brien said she got an offer to become the dean of the College of Arts-and-Sciences but school president Robert Wild interceded before it could be announced. O’Brien said she was stunned and disappointed.
Marquette spokeswoman Mary Pat Pfeil said the decision was not due to the quality of her scholarship or the fact she was a lesbian. Pfeil said it was based on, “a totality of factors, specifically related to the fit for the candidate to the college.” She said Marquette officials were concerned about some of O’Brien’s writing relating to the Catholic mission and its identity.
Some professors say the decision is against the school’s values. They’re now concerned their academic freedom may be questioned. The students protested outside an awards dinner for Marquette faculty, blocking part of a busy street.
Crowd noise (:17)
