This month, a faculty search committee at Simon Fraser University gave David Noble, a professor of history at York University, 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 technology,” says Stephen Duguid, head of the humanities department at Simon Fraser and leader of the search. “And of course, he’s a highly respected scholar.”
Mr. Noble says he was excited about the position and was “waiting for the call from the dean to talk turkey about salary and about the usual details.”
That call never came. Instead, he says he heard from a recruiting firm asking for his permission for the university to call four people of their choice to act as references for him. Mr. Noble says the list of names included people who had publicly criticized his views and who had never worked directly with him. Mr. Noble denied the firm permission, arguing that he had already provided more than a dozen references.
Subsequently, Mr. Duguid was notified that his dean, John T. Pierce, would not support the committee’s recommendation. Mr. Pierce did not respond to a request for an interview.
John Waterhouse, vice president of academics at the university, which offers more than 90 distance-education courses per term, said in an e-mail interview that while “S.F.U. has a longstanding history of involvement in distance education,” Mr. Noble’s “position on technology was not the basis for the dean’s recommendation to me.” He added that a final decision about the position has not yet been made. “The nomination is following normal policy process,” he wrote.
But Mr. Duguid expresses surprise at the administration’s extra scrutiny of their nominee. “This is not standard,” he says.
James L. Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, says such background checks are “most unusual” for faculty searches. “I think it’s standard practice in hiring that the employer can’t just go on a fishing expedition trying to find people that hate you.”
Mr. Noble sent a letter to the teaching association asking it to investigate.
“The blocking of my appointment stems from the S.F.U. administration’s opposition to my political views on matters of grave political import,” Mr. Noble wrote. “It violates academic norms.”
Background article from The Chronicle:
