Professor's classes canceled

National Catholic Reporter, Sept 7, 2007

CHICAGO -- DePaul University canceled the courses of Norman Finkelstein, the controversial political science professor who was denied tenure last spring (NCR, June 22), and put him on administrative leave for the last year of his contract with the school, the Chicago Tribune reported Aug. 28.

Finkelstein lost his bid for tenure at DePaul in June after a bitter public fight that featured the involvement of the Harvard University law professor Alan M. Dershowitz. Critics accused Finkelstein of bias against Israel.

Finkelstein had been expected to return to DePaul for a final year of teaching, and was scheduled to teach two political science courses this fall. The courses were reportedly fully booked.

In a statement issued Aug. 26, the Vincentian university confirmed that it had put Finkelstein on leave "with full pay and benefits for the 2007-08 academic year."