Prof Appeals Decision Denying Him Tenure
On November 15, 2005, the faculty committee of the Department of History voted 11–3 in favor of granting White his tenure and promotion.
In February, 2006, White’s application was reviewed by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Promotion and Tenure Committee. In an unusual move, Jeff Norrell, a history professor holding the Bernadotte Schmitt Chair of Excellence, wrote a letter to the committee members explaining why he, as a member of the faculty committee, voted against granting White tenure and promotion.
Norrell appeared to question the quality of White’s publisher and even went as far to claim that White’s teaching ability was not as strong as indicated by peer reviews and student evaluations.