University Times

When faculty and administrators in Pitt's School of Law recently found a way to maintain the Environmental Law Clinic as part of the school — despite state legislators' efforts to punish the clinic for representing certain environmentalist groups — University Senate leaders were among those who cheered the decision as a victory for academic freedom.

Recognizing that other threats to academic freedom are likely to arise when outside funding agencies try to interfere in University activities, Faculty Assembly on April 2 called for a special committee to study the issue.

Assembly members unanimously approved a resolution authorizing Senate President James Cassing "to convene an ad hoc committee to examine the question of how to respond to pressures from beyond the academy and to recommend appropriate courses of action when the importance of maintaining funding appears to compromise academic freedom."

In recent years, Pennsylvania lawmakers have threatened to cut funding to state-related universities if they extended health benefits to employees' same-sex partners.

Last summer, some legislators pressured Chancellor Mark Nordenberg to fire the Environmental Law Clinic director in retaliation for the clinic's work on behalf of opponents of logging in the Allegheny National Forest. The chancellor refused. But legislators banned Pitt from spending state money on the clinic, and the University administration began charging the clinic for overhead expenses at a rate that threatened to bankrupt it.

Besides state government, other funding sources — corporations, foundations, federal and city agencies — could attempt to influence research and teaching, Assembly members said.

In other meeting business, the Assembly recommended that Pitt's administration increase from $15,000 to $30,000 the maximum amount that Pitt will reimburse employees for legal fees incurred in successfully defending themselves, during in-house proceedings, against research misconduct charges.

Cassing said he would forward the recommendation to Pitt senior administrators. It also is expected to come up at Monday's Senate Council meeting, scheduled for 3 p.m. in 2P56 Posvar Hall.

— Bruce Steele