[nativestudies-l] Immediate Release--Tenure for Andrea Smith!

jkauanui at wesleyan.edu jkauanui at wesleyan.edu
Wed Feb 27 20:12:43 EST 2008


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Native Feminism Without Apology!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                                                               February
25,
2008

Statement of University of Michigan Students and Faculty in Support of  
Andrea Smith's Tenure Case
CONTACT: TenureForAndreaSmith at gmail.com

On February 22nd, 2008, University of Michigan's College of
Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA) issued a negative tenure
recommendation for Assistant Professor Andrea Lee Smith. Jointly
appointed in the Program in American Culture and the Department of
Women's Studies, Dr. Smith's body of scholarship exemplifies scholarly  
excellence with widely circulated articles in peer-reviewed journals
and numerous books in both university and independent presses
including Native Americans and the Christian Right published this year
by Duke University Press.  Dr. Smith is one of the greatest indigenous  
feminist intellectuals of our time. A nominee for the 2005 Nobel Peace  
Prize, Dr. Smith has an outstanding academic and community record of  
service that is internationally and nationally recognized. She is a  
dedicated professor and mentor and she is an integral member of the  
University of Michigan (UM) intellectual community. Her reputation and  
pedagogical practices draw undergraduate and graduate students from
all over campus and the nation.

Dr. Smith received the news about her tenure case while participating
in the United States' hearings before the Convention on the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination at the United Nations in Geneva,  
Switzerland. Ironically, during those very same hearings, the 2003
U.S. Supreme Court decisions that restricted affirmative action
policies at UM specifically were cited as violations of international
law. At the same time, there is an undeniable link between the
Department of Women's Studies and LSA's current tenure recommendations
and the long history of institutional restrictions against faculty of  
color. In 2008, students of color are coming together to protest the
way UM's administration has fostered an environment wherein faculty of  
color are few and far between, Ethnic Studies course offerings have
little financial and institutional support, and student services for  
students of color are decreasing each year.

To Support Professor Andrea Smith:  The Provost must hear our
responses!  Write letters in support of Andrea Smith�s tenure case.   
Address email letters to ALL of the following:
Teresa Sullivan, Provost and Executive VP for Academic Affairs, LSA,
tsull at umich.edu
Lester Monts, Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, LSA,
lmonts at umich.edu
Mary Sue Coleman, President, PresOff at umich.edu
TenureForAndreaSmith at gmail.com
Voice your ideas on the web forum at http://www.woclockdown.org/

To Support Women of Color at Michigan and the Crisis of Women's Studies
and Ethnic Studies:  Attend the student organized March 15th Conference at
UM!!!! Campus Lockdown: Women of Color Negotiating the Academic Industrial
Complex is free and open to the public.  Speakers include renowned
activists and scholars Piya Chatterjee, Angela Davis, Rosa Linda Fregoso,
Ruthie Gilmore, Fred Moten, Clarissa Rojas, and Haunani-Kay Trask. For
more information and to register, visit:
http://www.woclockdown.org/

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