I wonder if others have noticed that the most indignant comments on Johnson's situation seem to come from people who do not have access to the actual record. Indeed, there is little or no controversy about him at Brooklyn College, where 39 senior faculty -- among them 28 chairs and program directors, 6 named professors, and one distinguished professor -- have recently signed the following statement:
"We, the undersigned members of the faculty of Brooklyn College, want to assure our colleagues within the City University of New York–and around the country–that Robert David Johnson’s tale of persecution must not be taken at face value. Brooklyn College has not yet responded to Johnson’s allegations because it plays by the rules, and the rules do not permit the public airing of confidential personnel information–not even to defend the good names and reputations of the people Johnson has impugned, among them the widely-respected chairman of our History Department. As scholars, moreover, we have not forgotten that the search for truth often requires a suspension of judgment until all the evidence has been produced, which you may be certain it will be, in due course. Brooklyn College’s commitment to the very highest standards of academic integrity and intellectual honesty remains as strong as ever.
Bonnie Anderson (Broeklundian Professor, Department of History)
H. Arthur Bankoff (Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology)
Robert Bell (Professor of Management and Chair, Department of Economics)
Renate Bridenthal (Professor Emerita of History)
Edwin G. Burrows (Broeklundian Professor, Department of History)
Nehru E. Cherukupalli (Professor and Chair, Department of Geology)
Malgorzata Ciszkowska (Chair, Department of Chemistry)
J. Roger Dunkle (Professor and Chair, Department of Classics)
Hershey H. Friedman (Professor of Business and Deputy Chair, Department of Economics)
Vincent Fuccillo (Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science)
R. H. Gavin (Professor and Chair, Department of Biology)
Donald Gerardi (Professor of History and Director of Religious Studies)
Timothy Gura (Professor and Chair, Department of Speech Communication Arts and Sciences)
Nancy Hager (Professor of Music and Director of the Conservatory of Music)
Louise Hainline (Broeklundian Professor, Department of Psychology)
Lindley P. Hanlon (Professor and Chair, Department of Film)
R. Glen Hass (Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology)
Barbra Higginbotham (Professor and Chair, Department of the Library)
Hal Himmelstein (Professor and Chair, Department of Television and Radio)
Leslie S. Jacobson (Professor and Acting Chair, Department of Health and Nutrition Science)
Jerry Krase (Murray Koppelman Professor, Department of Sociology)
Régine Latortue (Professor and Chair, Department of African Studies)
Samuel L. Leiter (Broeklundian Professor and Chair, Department of Theater)
Michael Mallory (Professor and Chair, Department of Art)
Egon Mayer (Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology)
Emily Michael (Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy)
Nicholas Papayanis (Professor of History)
Maria E. Perez y Gonzales (Acting Chair, Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies)
Sara Reguer (Professor and Chair, Department of Judaic Studies)
Virginia Sanchez Korrol (Professor of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies)
Stuart Schaar (Professor of History)
Carl Shakin (Distinguished Professor of Physics and Chair, Department of Physics)
Deborah A. Shanley (Dean and Chair, School of Education)
William Sherzer (Professor of Spanish and Chair, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures)
Aaron Tenenbaum (Professor and Chair, Department of Computer and Information Science)
Charles Tobey (Professor and Chair, Department of Physical Education and Exercise Science)
Ellen Tremper (Professor and Chair, Department of English)
Merih Uctum (Associate Professor and Deputy Chair, Department of Economics)
Sharon Zukin (Broeklundian Professor, Department of Sociology)
by Edwin G. Burrows on November 26, 2002 at 10:26 PM