School Spotlight
Linfield University
Speech Code Rating
- At present, FIRE does not maintain information on this school's policies.
Linfield University: Tenured Professor Terminated Without Due Process for Criticizing University
April 28, 2021
On March 29, 2021, Linfield University professor Daniel Pollack-Pelzner posted a Twitter thread criticizing the university for allegedly mishandling sexual abuse allegations. Pollack-Pelzner also accused Linfield president Miles K. Davis of making anti-Semitic remarks, which Davis denied. On April 27, Linfield abruptly fired Pollack-Pelzner, a tenured professor, without due process, citing “false public accusations that… Read more
Linfield College: Student Group’s Event Canceled Due to Speaker’s Tweet
June 30, 2017
On April 18, 2017, University of Toronto professor Dr. Jordan Peterson tweeted that he would be “violating some more safe spaces soon” at Linfield College.
Linfield University sued over process-free termination of tenured professor, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner
July 16, 2021
A frozen laptop screen, an error message, then an automated reply from his own university email account announcing that he was no longer employed at Linfield University. That’s the total process — a generous description — that Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, a tenured professor, received after criticizing Linfield’s senior leadership, who summarily terminated him in what they… Read more
Linfield University president: I did not know there were rules for firing tenured faculty
April 30, 2021
As the fallout continues over Linfield University’s summary termination of a tenured professor — with no process whatsoever — the Chronicle of Higher Education’s new story on the controversy is a must-read. As FIRE detailed yesterday, Linfield University’s senior leadership abruptly terminated Daniel Pollack-Pelzner after he criticized the university’s handling of sexual assault and harassment… Read more
Tenured professor abruptly fired after raising allegations of anti-Semitic speech by Linfield University’s president
April 29, 2021
MCMINNVILLE, Ore., April 29, 2021 — A university embroiled in sexual abuse scandals has abruptly fired a tenured professor who criticized the handling of those controversies and alleged that the university’s president and chair of its Board of Trustees made anti-Semitic comments. In the process, Linfield University shamelessly conceded that it afforded the professor no… Read more
Does Linfield College respect freedom of expression? We asked — and Linfield didn’t answer
June 30, 2017
In its “Anti-Harassment Protection and Academic Freedom” policy, Linfield College states that “[a]ll members of the college are entitled to use speech to convey disagreement, agreement, inquiry, or commentary in keeping with the principles underlying constitutionally protected free expression.” That’s an admirable commitment from a private university not required to uphold the First Amendment —… Read more