View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by D-Scholarship@Pitt THE TURNER AND COLODNY CASES: ACADEMIC FREEDOM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, 1934 & 1961 by Curtis J. Good Bachelor of Science in Education, Kent State University, 2002 Master of Education, Kent State University, 2004 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2011 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION This dissertation was presented by Curtis J. Good It was defended on April 6, 2011 and approved by Van Beck Hall, Associate Professor, History W. James Jacob, Assistant Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies William Bickel, Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies Dissertation Advisor: Don Martin, Associate Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies ii Copyright © by Curtis J. Good 2011 iii THE TURNER AND COLODNY CASES: ACADEMIC FREEDOM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, 1934 & 1961 Curtis J. Good, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2011 The principle of academic freedom is a central aspect of the learning and teaching process in the American higher education system. Its importance, however, has become more accepted over time and today it is an established part of our post-secondary system. This shift in acceptance began in the early part of the twentieth century and was contested and disputed for the greater part of that century. This debate did not happen at just the national level, rather much deliberation occurred at the local level where institutions defined academic freedom in their systems. The University of Pittsburgh, founded in 1787, was one such institution that demonstrated the contestation of academic freedom. The eventual adoption of academic freedom as a formalized principle at the University was developed through two cases that forced the University to review what academic freedom is, and then to either accept or deny its place at the institution. The cases of Ralph E. Turner and Robert G. Colodny are examined and compared in this study. Each man encountered an experience where their individual freedoms of scholarship were questioned and scrutinized. This study examines how the inquiries into each man’s scholarship began, the position and process of the University, and how each case was eventually resolved. The study will demonstrate how academic freedom existed at the University of Pittsburgh in 1934 and 1961 and what these particular cases meant to the University and the health of its faculty. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE .................................................................................................................................... IX 1.0 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY ..................................................................................... 1 1.2 THE PROBLEM ......................................................................................................... 5 1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ......................................................................... 7 1.4 THEORETICAL DESIGN ......................................................................................... 8 1.5 LIMITATIONS ............................................................................................................ 9 1.6 DELIMITATIONS .................................................................................................... 11 1.7 OUTLINE OF CHAPTERS ..................................................................................... 12 1.8 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 15 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................. 16 2.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................ 16 2.2 WHAT IS ACADEMIC FREEDOM? ..................................................................... 17 2.3 WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM? ................................. 23 2.3.1 Academic Freedom in the German State ..................................................... 25 2.3.2 Academic Freedom in the United States ...................................................... 29 2.4 WHAT DIFFERENT THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM EXIST IN THE AMERICAN MODEL? .................................................... 31 v 2.5 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 37 3.0 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................ 39 3.1 INTRODUCTION TO METHODOLOGY ............................................................ 39 3.2 METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH ..................................................................... 40 3.2.1 Comparative History ..................................................................................... 41 3.2.2 Local History .................................................................................................. 43 3.3 SELECTION OF CASES AND AREA OF ANALYSIS........................................ 44 3.4 SIGNIFIGANCE OF CASES ................................................................................... 45 3.5 DATA SOURCES ...................................................................................................... 47 3.5.1 Literature Review/Academic Freedom ........................................................ 47 3.5.1.1 History Of Academic Freedom In The United States ...................... 47 3.5.1.2 Interpretations Of Academic Freedom ............................................. 48 3.5.2 Ralph Turner Case ......................................................................................... 50 3.5.2.1 Books .................................................................................................... 50 3.5.2.2 AAUP Bulletin ..................................................................................... 51 3.5.2.3 Papers Of Chancellor Bowman ......................................................... 51 3.5.2.4 Articles By Mulcahy ........................................................................... 52 3.5.2.5 Newspapers and Periodicals .............................................................. 53 3.5.2.6 Unpublished Turner Speech .............................................................. 54 3.5.3 Robert Colodny Case ..................................................................................... 54 3.5.3.1 Books .................................................................................................... 54 3.5.3.2 Local History Articles ......................................................................... 55 3.5.3.3 Local Newspapers ............................................................................... 56 vi 3.5.3.4 Papers Of Chancellor Litchfield ........................................................ 57 3.5.3.5 Robert Colodny Papers ...................................................................... 57 3.5.3.6 Investigative Testimony By The Powers Commission ..................... 58 3.6 DATA SELECTION ................................................................................................. 58 3.7 APPROACH TO ANALYSIS .................................................................................. 59 3.8 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................... 61 4.0 THE DISMISSAL OF RALPH TURNER ....................................................................... 62 4.1 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................ 62 4.2 THE UNIVERSITY PRIOR TO THE TURNER CASE ....................................... 64 4.3 TURNER’S BACKGROUND .................................................................................. 68 4.4 TURNER’S DISMISSAL .......................................................................................... 70 4.5 NEWS COVERAGE AND PUBLIC REACTION ................................................. 72 4.6 FALLOUT FROM THE TURNER DISMISSAL .................................................. 73 4.7 POSSIBLE REASONS FOR TURNER’S DISMISSAL ........................................ 74 4.8 AAUP INVESTIGATION ........................................................................................ 79 4.9 AAUP’S COMMITTEE FINDINGS ....................................................................... 83 4.10 BOWMAN’S REACTION TO THE AAUP REPORT ........................................ 85 4.11 STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES INVESTIGATION ....................... 87 4.12 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................ 89 5.0 THE COLODNY CASE .................................................................................................... 91 5.1 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................ 91 5.2 PITTSBURGH PRESS ARTICLE .......................................................................... 92 5.3 REACTION FROM JOHN T. WALSH AND OTHER POLITICIANS ............. 95 vii 5.4 UNIVERSITY RESPONSE ...................................................................................... 98 5.5 COMMUNITY RESPONSE