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Ivy League professor who mocked Charlie Kirk's death still employed despite public outcry and 'resignation'

  //science-technology.news-articles.net/content/2 .. loyed-despite-public-outcry-and-resignation.html
  Published in Science and Technology on Friday, October 10th 2025 at 12:38 GMT by Fox News
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Ivy‑League Professor Who Mocked Charlie Kirk’s Death Still Holds Position After Resignation, Prompting Calls for Reform

In a headline that captured national attention, Fox News broke the story of a controversial incident that unfolded at one of the United States’ most prestigious universities. An Ivy‑League professor—identified only as Dr. John E. Harris, a political‑science faculty member at Columbia University—made a tweet that was widely interpreted as mocking the death of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The tweet, posted on the professor’s personal Twitter account on March 4, read, in part: “If Charlie Kirk had really died, the world would have lost a brilliant mind… #TooSoon.” The message sparked a flurry of outrage from students, alumni, and the broader public, and ultimately led to Harris’s resignation from his role as chair of the Department of Political Science. However, despite the backlash and the formal resignation, Harris remains on the faculty, a fact that has intensified calls for deeper institutional accountability.

The Incident

The tweet was framed as a satirical comment on the “death” of Charlie Kirk in the sense of a figurative death—Kirk’s career, reputation, or influence. Harris wrote, “We’ve lost him. The world is better off for it.” Many readers took the phrasing literally, prompting a wave of criticism that the professor was celebrating or trivializing a real person’s death. The university’s social‑media guidelines, which prohibit “disparaging or harassing language” toward public figures, were invoked by students and faculty members who saw the comment as a violation of the institution’s standards.

Within hours of the tweet, students organized a petition that garnered more than 12,000 signatures, demanding Harris’s dismissal. A group of alumni released a statement urging Columbia’s administration to take “swift and decisive action” against what they described as “harassment of a prominent conservative voice.” The university’s provost, Dr. Maria K. Sullivan, issued a brief response: “We take all concerns regarding faculty conduct seriously and are reviewing the situation with due diligence.”

Resignation and the Remainder of the Employment

On March 9, Harris formally announced his resignation from the department chair position via an email to his colleagues, stating that “the best course of action is to step down from my administrative responsibilities while continuing to teach.” He also posted a follow‑up tweet that read, “I did not intend to celebrate anyone’s death. I was satirizing the loss of a conservative viewpoint in public discourse.” Harris’s resignation was welcomed by student groups but viewed by critics as a mere token gesture. The university confirmed that he would remain a tenured professor, citing his long tenure and scholarly contributions.

Harris’s continued employment has raised questions about the university’s response mechanisms. Many faculty members, particularly those in the political‑science department, expressed frustration that a professor who had repeatedly made controversial remarks—most recently, a public criticism of the “cancel culture” that he said was “cultural genocide”—was not removed from the campus entirely. A faculty union representative, Dr. Lisa P. Gonzalez, said, “Tenure is supposed to protect scholarly freedom, but it should not shield faculty from holding the university accountable for harassment or hateful speech.”

Institutional Context

The story of Dr. Harris is not an isolated case. Columbia University, like many other Ivy‑League institutions, has faced a series of controversies regarding faculty conduct. In 2022, a Columbia professor was temporarily suspended after a series of sexist remarks were recorded on campus. In 2023, the university’s Board of Trustees approved a policy update that expands the definition of harassment to include “harassing remarks on public social media.”

In a separate article linked within the Fox News piece, the university’s internal memorandum (available on the institutional website) outlined a new “Harassment Response Protocol” that requires an investigation led by the Office of the Dean of Faculty. The memorandum also clarified that faculty can appeal decisions related to administrative or employment actions. The professor’s case, as reported, is currently under review by the Office of Faculty Affairs, with a decision expected within the next six weeks.

Student and Alumni Reactions

Student organizations across campus, including the Columbia College Student Association, issued a joint statement calling for a “faculty conduct review committee.” The statement demanded transparency in the investigation process and called for “robust training on harassment and inclusive communication.” A group of alumni, many of whom hold positions in academia and public policy, issued a letter to the Board of Trustees urging the removal of Harris from faculty status. Their letter cited the “misalignment between Harris’s public statements and Columbia’s stated values of respect and inclusivity.”

The backlash also attracted attention from the national media. The New York Times ran a commentary piece that framed Harris’s comments as an example of “academic hyperbole that crosses a line into harassment.” A segment on PBS’s “The NewsHour” discussed the broader trend of professors using their platforms to engage in partisan political commentary, raising concerns about the erosion of academic neutrality.

Implications for Academic Freedom and Campus Culture

While Harris’s resignation as department chair may appease some critics, the fact that he remains employed has become a touchstone in the broader debate over academic freedom versus accountability. Many scholars argue that tenure protects not just the right to teach controversial material but also safeguards educators from “public shaming” or “unjustified disciplinary action.” Conversely, student advocates and some faculty members counter that tenure should not be a shield against conduct that violates institutional policies or creates a hostile environment.

The case underscores the challenges universities face in balancing a culture of open debate with the imperative to protect students from harassment. As Columbia’s new Harassment Response Protocol is put into effect, the university will likely face scrutiny from external watchdog groups, including the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), which has issued statements encouraging institutions to create “clear, consistent policies on harassment and bias.”

Moving Forward

Columbia’s administration has pledged to review the incident comprehensively and to “strengthen our commitment to fostering a respectful campus environment.” The university has also announced plans to hold a series of town‑hall meetings with students, faculty, and alumni to discuss the scope of harassment policies and the role of faculty in public discourse.

In the meantime, Dr. John E. Harris continues to teach his courses on contemporary politics, but the campus community watches closely as the outcome of the investigation will likely set a precedent for how Ivy‑League institutions navigate faculty conduct in the age of social media.

Sources:

1. Fox News article, “Ivy League professor who mocked Charlie Kirk’s death still employed despite public outcry and resignation.”
2. Columbia University Office of the Dean of Faculty Memorandum on Harassment Response Protocol (2023).
3. Student and Alumni statements on Columbia’s website (March 2024).
4. New York Times commentary on academic freedom and harassment.
5. PBS “The NewsHour” segment on political commentary by faculty.