Syracuse Professor Blames Bill O'Reilly For Denied Tenure

[sabra]

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/fnc/syracuse_professor_blames_bill_oreilly_for_denied_tenure_116739.asp

Syracuse Professor Blames Bill O'Reilly For Denied Tenure

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/original/watkins_5-18.bmp

A Syracuse University professor is blaming his public feud with Bill O'Reilly as the reason he was denied tenure last week, reports Inside Higher Ed.

"In many academic circles, being attacked by Bill O'Reilly might be a badge of honor," writes Inside Higher Ed. "A Syracuse University professor, however, charges that he was denied tenure last week in part because of the fallout over his on-air disputes with the Fox television star."

Boyce Watkins appeared on CNN, among other outlets, several times after O'Reilly's comments about lunching at Sylvia's in Harlem.

Throughout those discussion, Watkins called Fox News contributor Juan Williams an "eternal happy negro" and compared O'Reilly to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (video after the jump). If you search "Boyce Watkins Bill O'Reilly" on YouTube, there are more than 1,000 results, many of which contain links to BoyceWatkins.com.

Last May, Syracuse chancellor Nancy Cantor got an O'Reilly ambush interview about the professor, and later caused the University to release a statement about Watkins.

Watkins is "vowing to sue the university," saying it proves Syracuse University doesn't "tenure black people like me."

[dgibby]

1. I hope he includes Bill O. in the suit.

[Buzz Clik]

2. Meh.

So, he decided to go the public airways route with his academic career. Smart money says he neglected some little things like quality instruction and publishing. No doubt, his department at Syracuse warned him that he was not making adequate progress before they pulled the plug.

His response? A little hair of the dog that bit him -- he's going public with his complaint.

Somebody sell this dude a clue.

[damntexdem]

3. The denial of tenure is the university's fault.

B.O. is just his usual stinky self. But the university doesn't have to follow suit.

[11cents]

4. "Fault?"

We have only the professor's word as to whether his run-in with Billo is the reason he was denied tenure. I don't know anything about this professor and his academic history, and probably nobody else here does either. Maybe the university is "at fault." Or maybe it made a perfectly justifiable decision in which Bill O'Reilly didn't figure at all, and the professor is using his minor celebrity to make himself a martyr. We don't know.

[Buzz Clik]

5. Good call.

I'm guessing the Syracuse has denied tenure to others, and they have their criteria pretty well aligned.

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. Calling someone an "eternal happy negro" probably didn't help his tenure prospects