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 What
would you do if you discovered your professor was guilty of
plagiarism? This is what happened to students who attended the
University of Colorado (CU) in 2007, when Ward Churchill, formerly
head of the University of Colorado's Ethnic Studies Program, was fired
for research misconduct that year.
Churchill was born in Elmwood, Illinois in 1947, and he attended
local schools. He then served in Vietnam, although reports about his
actual service record are mixed. He became a full professor in the
field of American Indian studies without the benefit of a PhD. He
holds a BA and MA from the University of Illinois-Springfield
(previously recognized as Sangamon State University) in technological
communications (1974) and in communications theory (1975),
respectively.
Churchill claims Native American ancestry and has written or
coauthored fourteen books and more than 150 published essays, many of
which are centered on the historic and modern treatment of North
American indigenous people by European settlers and current
government. Although Churchill was active with Native American groups
and focused on their histories and current activities, his most
controversial piece was written after 9/11, when he wrote a commentary
that described the bankers and stock traders who died in the World
Trade Center as "little Eichmanns."
According to newspaper reports, this statement incited new
investigations into former allegations that Churchill's work was
inappropriate. Three faculty committees had accused Churchill of
plagiarism, falsification and other misconduct. Although Churchill no
longer works for CU, this investigation is ongoing as CU reviews its
tenure-granting process and as two members of the five-member panel
involved in the Churchill investigation have resigned after criticisms
about apparent conflicts of interest.
Currently, Churchill maintains a Web site centered on academic
freedom and the ability to maintain political dissent.
Image: Ward Churchill speaking at the Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair.
Photographer Steve Rhodes, San Francisco, U.S., 2005..
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