A tenured professor in California has been dismissed from her position following her involvement in pro-Palestinian campus activism, becoming the first tenured faculty member fired from a public university in connection with the widespread protests against Israel's war in Gaza.
The Case of Professor Sang Hea Kil
Sang Hea Kil, a long-serving member of the Justice Studies department at San José State University and a faculty adviser for its Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, was fired by the university in late 2023. She is now contesting the dismissal through arbitration, with the backing of the California Faculty Association.
Kil's case is part of a growing trend across American higher education, where numerous professors and staff have faced suspension, investigation, or dismissal in relation to their stance on the conflict. Her firing marks a significant escalation, as she is the first tenured professor at a public university to lose her job over such activism since Steven Salaita was dismissed from the University of Illinois in 2014 for critical social media posts.
University Allegations and Faculty Defence
The university's case centres on two main incidents from early 2024. The first was a February 2024 protest where an altercation turned physical between student protesters and a faculty member who was filming them. Kil was present, though she states she attended in a personal capacity and alleges the other faculty member "assaulted" a student.
The second allegation concerns remarks Kil made which the university claims encouraged students to stage an encampment in violation of policy. Kil later participated in that student-led encampment for three of its ten days, stating she felt obliged to join after seeing police raids on similar camps in New York and Los Angeles.
The university accused Kil of disrupting business operations and encouraging students to do the same. Following an investigation, President Cynthia Teniente-Matson upheld the dismissal in November 2024, accusing Kil of putting student safety at risk and intentionally disregarding university policies.
A Broader Clash Over Academic Freedom
This dismissal has ignited a fierce debate about the limits of free speech and academic freedom for university staff, particularly regarding "extramural" speech and activities outside the classroom. Kil has denounced the action as "New McCarthyism," where geopolitical interests interfere with constitutional rights on campus.
Notably, a faculty committee that reviewed the dismissal confirmed some policy violations but concluded the punishment was disproportionate and unjustified. This view is supported by leading academic freedom experts. Henry Reichman, a retired professor and expert, testified that while policies may have been breached, the violations did not impact Kil's "fitness" to perform her professional duties—the key standard for dismissing a tenured professor.
Major academic bodies, including the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association, have rebuked the university's decision. The California Faculty Association stated it is "outraged," calling the firing an infringement on free speech. Kil has stated she will sue the university if arbitration fails.
The case unfolds amid unprecedented political pressure on US universities and poses critical questions about the protection of faculty rights to engage in political protest and discourse without fear of losing their careers.
