So the news is out that Marquette University extendedthen rescindeda job offer to Jodi O’Brien, a Seattle University professor who just happens to be an out lesbian who studies gender, sexuality and religion. O'Brien had been recruited to be the dean of Marquette's College of Letters and Science.
Nothing controversial about that, hey?
I'm still waiting for a response from Marquette and others, but here are my thoughts right now:
First up there’s the news that this wasn’t the first time that Marquette has extended an offer to O’Brien. According to an interview O’Brien gave to The Advocate, this was the second time that Marquette tried to hire her for this position. The first time around, a search firm found her and she declined the offer. The second time, Marquette approached her and asked her to reconsider.
Marquette’s official statement says that there were “certain oversights” in the search process. Here’s an excerpt from the statement:
To be appointed as the Klingler College dean requires a unique combination of scholarly accomplishment, administrative experience, and the ability to represent our Catholic identity. The Search Committee had, in fact, forwarded two names to the provost for further consideration, in each case identifying issues for further discussion, as was its charge. Some of the concerns identified in the process should have had more careful scrutiny, and publications relating to Catholic mission and identity should have been more fully explored early in the process. While we did make an offer to one of the two finalists, in retrospect that was done prematurely without as much due diligence as was warranted. While this person has an excellent background, a record of achievement and a strong academic track record, it was decided after further analysis that this individual was not the person who could best fill this very important position.
There were certain oversights in the search process, and we regret that deeply. As a result of this search, the university will revise some aspects of the search process.
I spoke with Margaret Steele, a doctoral student who helped to organize yesterday’s protest, and she said from the conversations she's had with faculty she was confident that the search committee had done its due diligence.
Steele said that she had heard that two articles had raised alarms among some (more on that later), and that folks had to “go digging” to find something objectionable in O’Brien’s scholarly writings.
But it’s pretty clear from O’Brien’s CV that she’s open-minded about sexuality and religion. I mean, her “teaching areas” are “gender, sexuality, religion, social inequalities, social psychology, social theory, qualitative methodologies.”
So it’s not like she was trying to hide anything.
John McAdams, a conservative political science professor and media-seeking pundit, now sniffs that her academic writings weren't strong enough for this administrative position. Looks like he's more squeamish about her research topics, actually.
McAdams, using the royal we throughout his posts, posits that Marquette just wanted to look cool by hiring an out lesbian to be a dean:
The fact that she got an offer, and indeed the fact that the the Search Committee explicitly invited her to apply, both suggest an agenda. Some people, almost certainly including members of the Search Committee but perhaps also including Provost Pauly, thought it would be a dandy symbol of “diversity” at Marquette to have an openly lesbian Arts & Sciences Dean.
And Father Wild, who has a history of being manipulable, went along. Only when he got pressure from the other direction did he change his mind.
So was she qualified for the position? McAdams doesn't think so. But since 2002 O’Brien has been the chair of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Seattle University. So becoming dean of the L&S department doesn’t seem like a huge leap to me.
Then there’s Marquette’s statement that her writings somehow don’t fit Marquette’s mission as a Catholic university.
Well, that’s very interesting indeed.
Because Seattle University, where O’Brien currently teaches, is, like Marquette, a Catholic, Jesuit university.
Here’s Marquette’s mission statement:
Marquette is a Catholic, Jesuit university dedicated to serving God by serving our students and contributing to the advancement of knowledge.
OUR MISSION is the search for truth, the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the fostering of personal and professional excellence, the promotion of a life of faith, and the development of leadership expressed in service to others. All this we pursue for the greater glory of God and the common benefit of the human community.
OUR VISION is to provide a Catholic, Jesuit education that is genuinely transformational, so that our students graduate not simply better educated but better people, and to do so with such excellence that when asked to name the three or four best Catholic universities in America, people will include Marquette as a matter of course.
And, for what it’s worth, here’s the university’s nondiscrimination policy:
Non-discrimination Policy
Marquette University does not discriminate in any manner contrary to law or justice on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, veteran's status or national origin in its educational programs or activities, including employment and admissions.
At the same time, Marquette cherishes its right and duty to seek and retain personnel who will make a positive contribution to its religious character, goals, and mission in order to enhance the Jesuit, Catholic tradition.
And here’s Seattle University’s mission:
Mission
Seattle University is dedicated to educating the whole person, to professional formation, and to empowering leaders for a just and humane world.
Vision
We will be the premier independent university of the Northwest in academic quality, Jesuit Catholic inspiration, and service to society.
Values
Care: We put the good of students first.
Academic Excellence: We value excellence in learning with great teachers who are active scholars.
Diversity: We celebrate educational excellence achieved through diversity.
Faith: We treasure our Jesuit Catholic ethos and the enrichment from many faiths of our university community.
Justice: We foster a concern for justice and the competence to promote it.
Leadership: We seek to develop responsible leaders committed to the common good.
If O’Brien is good enough for Seattle’s Catholics, I’m not quite sure why she isn’t good enough for Milwaukee’s Catholics.
Which brings us to money. Yup, I’ve heard the rumors, from all over, that a wealthy donor or donors pushed Wild to withdraw the offer. I also heard that some faculty in the law school and theology department objected as well.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all. Because O’Brien obviously passed two search efforts, has experience as an administrator and is already employed with a Jesuit university. So what else is there than Marquette's conservative donors?
I’ve put in calls to other folks so I’ll have more information and reserve the right to change my mind on this as more information comes out. But right now I think that, as always, it's smart to follow the money.
