Faculty protest at commencement

May 23, 1975

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Faculty protest at commencement
  • Title
  • Faculty protest at commencement
  • Date
  • May 23, 1975
  • Identifier
  • PCC000107
  • Description
  • During commencement exercises, Michael R. Hebert, Instructor in Education, protests faculty firings at Chatham College. Pictured left to right are Deborah Whittlesey (Intern in Academic Administration), Hebert, Nancy Hofsoos (Associate Director of Admissions), and Ronna Back (Director of Counseling). Hebert was likely responding to two incidents. In 1975 several faculty were denied tenure because of failure to obtain the terminal degrees in their respective fields (in most cases a doctorate). This first incident called into question the specific requirements for tenure. Also still prominent in 1975 was the pending case of Nan Pendrell vs. Chatham College. Pendrell, an Associate Professor of Anthropology, sued the college in 1971 after the termination of her contract to teach at Chatham. She was ostensibly forced to retire because she had reached the mandated retirement age of 65. Pendrell had not, however, entered college until she was 52 and was hired only a few months before her 65th birthday. She argued that the forced retirement was punishment for her civil rights activism.
  • Place of Publication
  • College Campus
  • Type
  • still image
  • Genre
  • photographs
  • Subject
  • Pittsburgh (Pa.)
    Shadyside (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    Chatham College
    Universities and colleges--Faculty
    College teachers--Dismissal of
    Academic costume
    Commencement ceremonies--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh
    Demonstrations
    Signs and signboards
  • Geographic Subjects
  • College Campus
  • Source
  • Chatham University Chronological Photograph Files
  • Contributor
  • Chatham University
  • Collection
  • Chatham University Chronological Photograph Files
  • Rights Information
  • Copyright Not Evaluated. The copyright and related rights status of this Item has not been evaluated. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.
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