Aref Assaf

November 5, 2007

(See also Newsday article)

A small victory for academic freedom in US universities.  after a public and fierce opposition to her tenure at Columbia University, my Alma Mata,  Professor Nadia El-Haj  wont her tenure. She is the author of "Facts on the Ground," a book that exposes the Israeli archaeological establishment for fabricating material used to legitimize Israeli policies. While prominent archaeologists are divided on the book's merits, few dispute her academic scholarship and strong arguments. We at the AAF joined hundreds of organizations that urged the college to grant her well deserved tenure.
A statement from the college  last Friday confirmed earlier reports that El-Haj's tenure had been approved. The matter still must come before the boards of trustees of both Barnard and Columbia University, the college's institutional parent, but Abu El-Haj is expected to attain the rank of associate professor, according to the college.

The statement said El-Haj had passed the college's "rigorous" tenure process and expressed confidence in her ability to contribute to scholarship and learning at Barnard.

"Tenure, together with the norms of academic freedom that pertain to all faculty, gives scholars the liberty to advance ideas, regardless of their political impact, so that their work may be openly debated and play a critical role in shaping knowledge in the scholar’s academic field," the statement said. Congratulations Dr. Nadia.