Chemist Lisa Jones withdraws from UNC faculty search for Pulitzer-winning journalist's tenure denial

[NNadir]

Tenure was denied to Nikole Hannah-Jones, who is the Pulitizer Prize Winning author of the 1619 Project, which discusses the role of historical slavery in modern African American lives. Lisa Jones and Nikole Hannah-Jones are not related.

This news item is from here: Chemist Lisa Jones withdraws from UNC faculty search over Pulitzer-winning journalist's tenure denial.

Subtitle:

UNC chemistry faculty respond with letter to administration warning tenure decision will do widespread harm

An excerpt:

Last week, bioanalytical chemist Lisa Jones withdrew from consideration for a faculty job at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill because of the university board of trustees’ decision to deny tenure to Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer Prize–winning Black journalist. The chemistry department sent a letter to administrators supporting Jones and warning of the negative effects this tenure decision could have on the university, including on the ability to recruit faculty.

The chemistry department had spent two years trying to recruit Jones, well known for her work in structural proteo­mics and currently an associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. However, in her letter to the department, Jones said she could not see herself accepting a position at a university where the Board of Trustees’ decision to intervene and refusal to hire Hannah-Jones with tenure stands. Hannah-Jones, a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant winner best known for the 1619 Project, a New York Times Magazine initiative that underlines the role of slavery and Black Americans in US history, is set to join the UNC faculty in July as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at the Hussman School of Journalism and Media.

Jones, who is Black, declined to be interviewed for this article but emailed the following statement: “Hearing of the delay of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ tenure decision led me to reconsider whether the environment at the University of North Carolina (UNC) would be conducive to the achievement of my academic aspirations, which include promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. While I have never met Ms. Hannah-Jones, as a faculty member of color, I stand in solidarity with her and could not in good conscience accept a position at UNC. This situation is indicative of a broader issue within academia where faculty of color face several obstacles and are less likely to gain tenure.”

Chemistry department chair Wei You sent a letter to Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and other administrators that said Hannah-Jones’s tenure case is “already having a chilling effect on future hiring at UNC, particularly from under-represented groups.” You urged the chancellor and trustees to fix the situation.

During its 203-year history, UNC’s chemistry department has only recruited three Black faculty to tenure-track positions; Jones would have been a fourth.

Hannah-Jones weighed in by tweet: “I’ve never met this sister, Dr. Lisa Jones, but the solidarity shown me by Black women in particular during this crucible is something I will never forget...”

Scientists do need to speak out on issues in ethics, and Dr. Lisa Jones is responding in that spirit.

[dweller]

1. Hell, the UNC system

is not even requiring students be vaxxed, so not a good environment overall

✌🏻

[Deuxcents]

2. With her qualifications

She’d be an asset somewhere more worthy of her. I don’t think she’ll have to wait long.

[DAMANgoldberg]

3. I may be biased...

but I have a suggestion, despite the school being less than 10% black. #justsayim, #WDE

[NNadir]

4. She already has a position at Maryland. Outstanding...

Last edited Wed Jun 23, 2021, 08:49 AM - Edit history (1)

...mass spectrometerists are something of a rare breed, at least in the context of protein dynamics, which is the area in which Dr. Jones works. I just called up a few of her papers. I wasn't familiar with this oxidative approach to protein conformation, so this news item expanded my brain.

She'll have an excellent career wherever she goes or if she stays where she is, and may end up, at some point with an endowed chair somewhere.

I can't imagine why a Pulitizer Prise winner can be denied tenure. The only possible reason is racism.