Grove City College Removed from AAUP Censure List
GROVE CITY, Pa. — Grove City College announced Friday that the membership of the American Association of University Professors voted in favor of lifting a sanction imposed on the college more than 50 years ago.
The vote took place at the AAUP’s 2016 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
In 1963, Grove City College was placed on the organization’s censure list following the dismissal of history professor Larry Gara, whose pacifist and liberal political views conflicted with those held by the chairman of the college’s board of directors, industrialist J. Howard Pew. The AAUP determined Gara was not afforded sufficient due process.
“Grove City College is pleased with AAUP’s membership vote, and we especially appreciate the association’s assistance in achieving a complete resolution of this issue, said President Paul J. McNulty. “Being on the censure list for 53 years was not representative of what we are as a faith-based institution and doesn’t reflect our long-standing commitment to fairness and respect for our employees. The college is a wonderful environment for scholars to thrive professionally.”
The college entered into discussions with AAUP officials in 2013 in an effort to resolve the matter. Believing it was the right thing to do, last year the college reached out to the 93-year-old former professor to acknowledge that under procedures in place today, his situation would have been handled quite differently than it was years ago.
“Grove City College is built on an uncompromising foundation of principled leadership, ethical standards, and personal integrity – characteristics that our faculty and administration aspire to every day. Resolution of this matter is a recognition that Grove City College values and respects academic freedom and due process,” Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Robert J. Graham said in a statement.
BACKGROUND:
53 years after his firing, college professor gets apology
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