Table of Contents
How Much Does It Cost to Fire a Professor?
In the case of Ward Churchill, the answer would be $352,000. The University of Colorado disclosed yesterday the total cost for all the investigations and hearings leading up to the Board of Regents dismissing Ward Churchill as a professor. This amount is only expected to increase because it doesn’t include legal fees that will be associated with Churchill’s lawsuit against the university, which is currently pending in state court.
In 2005, FIRE released an analysis of the situation and FIRE President Greg Lukianoff recently published a piece concerning the next legal steps in this story. Stay tuned to The Torch for more coverage as we continue to follow this case.
Recent Articles
Get the latest free speech news and analysis from FIRE.
Trinity College bans political activism over chalkboard messages
FIRE calls on Trinity to end its investigation into the matter and remove any existing policy prohibiting “political activism within academic settings.”
Join FIRE’s Free Speech Forum this summer in Washington, D.C.
Spend a week in D.C. exploring free speech, building advocacy skills, and connecting with future leaders — all for free at FIRE’s 2026 Forum!
FIRE poll: 90% of undergrads believe words can be violence even after killing of Charlie Kirk
Ninety one percent of undergraduate students believe that words can be violence, according to a new poll by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and College Pulse.
If free speech only matters when convenient, it isn’t free at all
Free speech isn’t a perk for agreeable views. It’s a civic discipline we need most when it stings.