The CUNY trustees yesterday granted tenure to a Brooklyn College history professor who ripped the school’s post-9/11 forum for promoting hatred against America – overruling the college’s appointments panel, which sparked outrage by passing him over.
In a rare reversal on a personnel matter, City University Chancellor Matthew Goldstein and the policy board concluded that Assistant Professor Robert “KC” Johnson is a nationally renowned scholar who should not have been denied promotion and tenure.
Goldstein questioned the school, citing a supposed “lack of collegiality” last fall as the reason it tried to get rid of Johnson.
“Professor Johnson’s excellent record of scholarship and teaching was not in doubt,” Goldstein said during a board meeting yesterday.
Johnson charged that the history department rejected him because of his strong opinions – including his complaints about the forum, and his criticism of department hiring practices that downplayed merit.
Johnson had the backing of student government, the chairmen of the history departments at Harvard and Columbia, and other prominent professors across the country.
Goldstein said he reached his conclusion after interviewing Johnson and the Brooklyn College president.