[lbo-talk] scumbag Botstein responds

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Mon Feb 23 08:43:12 PST 2009


Thank you for writing. Professor Kovel was not fired, and most certainly not for any political views he may or may not hold. After fifteen years of serving as the full-time occupant of a non-tenured endowed chair, he voluntarily assumed part-time status in 2004. At that time he received a five-year contract, with the understanding that after those five years the college reserved the right to renew his position on a year-to-year basis. He knew it was possible that his position might not be renewed after the 2008–2009 academic year. In consultation with faculty, Bard elected not to renew Professor Kovel’s contract because, like all colleges, it faces severe fiscal constraints and is doing everything it can to preserve the employment of its full-time faculty. Professor Kovel enjoyed a fine and productive career at Bard for more than twenty years. We are sorry for and astonished at his allegations, which have no basis in fact.

Cordially, Leon Botstein President, Bard College

Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> Your decision not to renew Joel Kovel's contract is a disgrace. For
> an institution that likes to think of itself as independent and
> "liberal," you've demonstrated a cowardish and slavish devotion to
> orthodoxy. First the University of Michigan Press tries to suppress
> Joel's book, Overcoming Zionism. Then Bard fires him, almost
> certainly for his high-profile anti-Zionism. I suppose I shouldn't
> be surprised, but American academia is proving itself an extremely
> narrow-minded place.
>
>
>
> Doug Henwood
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