Muhlenberg educator was fired over pro-Palestinian speech, professors' group says

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Tension is rising between the American Association of University Professors and Muhlenberg College in regard to a professor who alleges her pro-Palestinian views may have led to her termination.

In what some claim is the first instance of a tenured professor being fired over pro-Palestine speech, Muhlenberg's Maura Finkelstein was notified of her termination by the college May 30.

Finkelstein — a self-described writer and ethnographer and associate professor of anthropology at Muhlenberg — was suspended from her position in January.

Finkelstein has declined requests by LehighValleyNews.com to be interviewed.

The Association of American University Professors said the cause of her suspension was “a pending investigation into student complaints regarding her speech and conduct related to the war in Gaza.”

Finkelstein has shared that voicing her opinions is not easy, as she is Jewish, along with a substantial part of the student body at the Allentown college.

According to a letter from the AAUP, “a formal panel consisting of staff members and faculty members appointed by Provost Dr. Laura Lowe Furge in consultation with the faculty nominating committee, convened to adjudicate her case.”

“According to [the panel’s] May 1 report, that she was responsible for ‘bias-related conduct’ in ‘repost[ing] a written statement on Instagram calling for ‘shaming Zionists, not welcoming them into your spaces, making them feel uncomfortable, not normalizing Zionists, calling them racists, and not allowing Zionists to take up space.' ”

The report also accused Finkelstein of online discrimination and harassment, discrimination and harassment for the post.

By May 8, the panel recommended a “termination for just cause,” with Finkelstein being notified of the decision on May 30, “pending an appeal and the procedures referenced in Section VII of the College Equal Opportunity Complaint and Resolution Policies for Faculty.”

An appeal submitted by Finkelstein was rejected by the college-appointed external appeals officers, the AAUP states.

Muhlenberg: 'Devoted to principals of academic freedom'

Asked about the status of Finkelstein’s employment and any other details related to the case, Muhlenberg Communications and Marketing Vice President Todd A. Lineburger replied that, “As you might expect, we cannot comment on an ongoing, confidential personnel matter.”

“However, please note that there are fundamental inaccuracies in some of the reporting to date, particularly in its description of internal, confidential processes,” Lineburger said in an email.

“We also would like to reiterate that Muhlenberg College remains steadfastly devoted to principles of academic freedom.

"This is fundamental to who we are. Concurrently, we at all times operate in accordance with our mission, policies and procedures, and are rigorous in our compliance with the law.

"We are committed to providing a safe, equitable, bias-free environment for all students, faculty and staff.

"Muhlenberg does not tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia or any other form of harassment, bigotry or abuse, nor any incitement to violence or calls for genocide.”

Dismissal 'deeply troubling'

The AAUP’s letter to Muhlenberg President Kathleen Harring called Finkelstein's dismissal “deeply troubling,” and said it was a departure from normal due process.

The AAUP stated the dismissal “must be preceded by an adjudicative hearing before an elected faculty body in which the administration bears the burden of demonstrating just cause for dismissal,” referencing the faculty handbook.

The AAUP said the “most critical exception” involved in the case is a provision that would allow the Faculty Personnel Policies Committee to refuse to hear a dismissal case, which they said was “at odds not only with AAUP-supported standards but also with normative academic practices.”

“But even if the FPPC were to determine that a formal review is warranted, the practical effect of affording a long-serving faculty member a dismissal hearing only after dismissing her inevitably serves to disadvantage that faculty member by implying that the charges to be proved have already been demonstrated and that it is thus her responsibility to overcome that presumption,” the AAUP letter states.

Furthermore, the AAUP letter says other departures from the standards include denying Finkelstein the right to be accompanied by legal counsel, and the failing to afford her the right to appeal to the governing board.

Committee coming to Muhlenberg?

The AAUP said its executive director authorized a committee of three AAUP consultants “versed in the issues implicated in this case and particularly in application of Association-supported standards” to come to Muhlenberg, a liberal arts college.

According to the AAUP letter, the committee will meet “to discuss the situation with Professor Finkelstein, other involved faculty members, and key members of the administration and board of trustees before preparing a report of findings.”

“The committee will submit a draft report to the Association’s standing Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure, which is authorized to release the draft to the principal parties for comments and corrections of fact," the letter says.

"Their responses will be taken into account in the preparation of the final text, which may be posted on our website and otherwise made public."

Finkelstein continues to share her views on Gaza on her social media pages, including numerous posts on X, formerly Twitter.

“As Israel & the US continue genocide in Palestine/escalate ethnic cleansing in Lebanon, we must continue to fearlessly fight for liberation & unapologetically condemn & work to dismantle Zionism & all forms of fascism,” she wrote in a thread posted Sept. 26.

The post concluded with: “A reminder: You either stand with oppressed people and fight for justice and liberation or you align yourself with power & fight in the service of white supremacy and fascism.

"There’s only one right answer here — free Palestine, free Lebanon, free Congo, free Sudan.”