United States: University Backtracks Appointment of Kathleen McElroy to Lead Journalism Program
$1M settlement offered after investigation into the botched hiring.
Location: United States, College Station, TX
Date: July 19, 2023
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune
Weeks after formally announcing former NYT editor Dr. Kathleen McElroy would revive its journalism program, Texas A&M changed its 5-year offer to a one-year, at-will contract amid political pushback over her appointment. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is dismayed and appalled with Texas A&M’s decision, especially as the controversy over her appointment refers to her substantial work on diversity and her person. We welcome the $1M settlement offered to McElroy, but urge Texas A&M to put processes into place ensuring racism and sexism are eradicated from its hiring processes.
“I feel damaged by this entire process,” says Dr. Kathleen McElroy, who was initially ecstatic to revive the university’s journalism program at her alma mater, Texas A&M University. Her appointment was announced with fanfare on June 13th by the university. Mere weeks later, Dr. McElroy declined the position after complaints about her focus on gender and diversity led the university to backpedal its offer.
Initially offered a tenure-track position, the university downgraded it to a five-year position without tenure in response to complaints. Then, the position was further reduced to a one-year position, from which she could be fired at any point.
“I’m being judged by race, maybe gender,” Dr. McElroy told the Texas Tribune about the ordeal. “And I don’t think other folks would face the same bars or challenges.”
Texas A&M President Kathy Banks said on July 19th during a faculty meeting she was not informed about the downgraded offer, which constitutes a breach of procedures.
However, in a letter sent by Dr. Hart Blanton on July 21st, Head of the Communication and Journalism Department, refuted the events, stating Banks had “injected herself into the process atypically and early on.” He added that he was unaware of the downgraded offer, but was told “race was a factor” in the unusual interference from Banks into the process.
Banks resigned on July 22nd in response to the fallout.
A week earlier, José Luis Bermúdez — the university’s interim dean of liberal arts, who McElroy had negotiated her position with — shared he would step down on July 31st.
“He said, ‘You’re a Black woman who was at The New York Times and, to these folks, that’s like working for Pravda’”
Bermúdez informed Dr. McElroy her hiring had “stirred up a hornet’s nest” on July 10th. Dr. McElroy told the NYT when she asked him why he responded by saying, “‘You’re a Black woman who was at The New York Times, to these folks, that’s like working for Pravda,’” — referring to communist Russia’s newspaper from the early 1900s.
Dr. McElroy told the Texas Tribune — which broke the story — Bermúdez claimed people who complained could “make him” fire her. According to the interim dean, even the president and chancellor were powerless.
Texas’ Controversial Diversity Ban
The gross mishandling of Dr. McElroy’s hiring comes amidst a new state law banning inclusivity and diversity programs at public colleges and universities. Referred to as DEI legislation — signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott last month — the law bans colleges and universities from “conducting trainings, programs or activities designed or implemented in reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation,” unless priorly approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Although Dr. McElroy’s position is unrelated to the banned activities, she believes her appointment was caught up in “DEI hysteria.”
Shannon Van Zandt, the Executive Associate Dean of the A&M School of Architecture, resigned in solidarity with Dr. McElroy. She stated the “clear interference of politics in the hiring and tenure processes of the head of the new Department of Journalism” has shaken her confidence in the integrity of these processes.
After investigating the matter, Texas A&M has offered McElroy a $1M settlement.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in strong solidarity with Dr. Kathleen McElroy and is appalled by the blatant racism and sexism in the hiring procedures. To judge the veteran journalist with more than 40 years of experience — who currently serves as the director of the University of Texas’s School of Journalism — by her race and gender is extremely disturbing. The hysteria growing around gender and race in the United States is seeing its first victims, which not only pertains to Dr. McElroy but also to the potential students McElroy would have trained at Texas A&M to become unbiased, truthful journalists. Students from all, but especially minority, backgrounds would have majorly benefitted from having such a grand role model. By succumbing to the pressure of racist and sexist constituents, Texas A&M takes an active part in the decline of press freedom in the country. We call on the university to examine its hiring procedures meticulously and develop processes in which racism and sexism are outlawed.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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