Legal News

Profs Giving Gonzo Chilly Welcome in Steamy Lubbock

By Ashby Jones

You’ve got to hand it to Alberto Gonzales; the man sure does know how to attract controversy.

The latest: the former U.S. attorney general appears to be on some sort of collision course with faculty members at Texas Tech University, where he’s slated to teach in the fall. Click here for an LB post on Gonzo’s Lubbock move, from earlier this month.

Last week, Gonzo told a Texas television station that he was busy preparing the syllabus for his political-science class, called “Contemporary Issues in the Executive Branch.” According to this writeup, from KCBD in Lubbock, Gonzales said he planned to play an important role in minority recruitment and retention at Texas Tech. He said:

People will see that Texas Tech has attracted someone of a high profile Hispanic who has had some very unique opportunities and experiences and a Hispanic who believes in the Tech mission and hopefully Hispanics will say well if Al Gonzales is interested in Texas Tech maybe I should give Texas Tech a second look.

Well, now comes word that a bunch of professors down at Texas Tech don’t like the idea of Gonzo teaching at their school. Some 70 professors have ginned up and signed a petition protesting the notion. According to this story, from the Daily Toreador, Texas Tech’s newspaper, the petition reads:

Gonzales’s appointment is a troubling example of a ‘celebrity hire. It is unclear what Gonzales has done that makes him deserving of employment at Texas Tech. Does he have a noteworthy academic record? Does he have a record of publishing in law reviews? Was his service to his country particularly distinguished?

The petition specifically calls out the school’s chancellor, Kent Hance, who reportedly largely orchestrated the Gonzo hire. Hance has not responded to a variety of requests for comment.

Gonzales, however, has said the petition isn’t holding him back, telling the Toreador:

We live in a country where, in the academic world, people can express publicly their approval and disapproval of various issues," he said. "What I'm focused on, is demonstrating that I'm serious about this teaching responsibility. I'm also serious about promoting diversity within Texas Tech. I hope that people will treat me fair and give me an opportunity to demonstrate that.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on July 30, 2009 (boomark / email).