Michael O’Keefe was a tenured professor at Oklahoma Christian University. On March 7, 2022, he was dismissed for inviting a guest lecturer to speak in front of his class about overcoming adversity. In doing so, the speaker spoke about sexual trauma he experienced as a child. Oklahoma Christian University deemed this to be inappropriate and terminated Professor O’Keefe after a six-day review, during which O’Keefe was not interviewed.
https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/report/2022-03-07-oklahoma-christian-university
June 27, 2022
John de Steiguer
President of Oklahoma Christian University
2501 E. Memorial Road
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, 73013
Phone: (405) 425 5100
Email: john.desteiguer@oc.edu
Dear President de Steiguer,
The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of
scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to the protection and
advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the¬ world.
We are writing in regard to Professor Michael O’Keefe, a tenured professor at the Oklahoma Christian (OC) University, who was dismissed on the grounds that he invited a guest speaker to address his class, and who then used “inappropriate and graphic language”. Professor O’Keefe was fired when the content of his course was deemed to be incompatible with OC’s values, without consideration for academic freedom, which is a core value of higher learning.
Furthermore, Professor O’Keefe’s account of what his students were told differs from what was reported by OC’s chief legal counsel. Indeed, according to O’Keefe, the language used by the guest speaker intended to communicate a traumatic experience that the speaker had as a child, and overcame as an adult. This is a discussion topic that falls well within the purview of his class. Alarmingly, Professor O’Keefe claims that he was not interviewed during the six-day review that led to his termination. We are, therefore, concerned that Professor O’Keefe’s point of view may not have been given its due attention before his dismissal.
We urge you to reconsider Professor O’Keefe’s dismissal, both on the grounds that his position should be protected by the principle of academic freedom, and in accordance with the principle that is enshrined in OC’s, covenant, that the faculty should “strive to practice honesty and integrity in everything [they] say and do”, which implies having difficult conversations with adult students when they are pertinent, even if that necessitates the use of uncomfortable language.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky,
Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
cc:
Stephen Eck
Chief Legal Officer of Oklahoma Christian University
2501 E. Memorial Road
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, 73013
Phone: (405) 425 5118
Email: stephen.eck@oc.edu
Terry Winn
Chief Human Resources Officer of Oklahoma Christian University
2501 E. Memorial Road
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, 73013
Phone: (405) 425 5127
Email: terry.winn@oc.edu