Should academics like me who maintain a blog be fearful that my employer will fire me if I say anything that can be perceived as criticism of the institution? The answer apparently is yes, according to this story by the Denver Post in which a professor of DeVry University was fired for some remarks that were allegedly critical of her university and its students:

The reasons for the firing, according to [Meg] Spohn [the professor who was fired], were vague. The dean explained that the school was aware of her personal website and objected to unspecified commentary disparaging DeVry University and its students.

Spohn denies that she ever criticized any students and characterized her complaints against DeVry as rare and gentle “kvetching.” She believes her firing was a “clear violation” of her First Amendment rights.

The article notes that Colorado is an “at will” state, in which employees can be fired for any reason that does not violate federal law. So where does my blog stand? While I frequently post about the discipline of sociology and the field of academics in general, I rarely say anything about my current employer, UMass Amherst.

But what would happen if some university administrator objects to my personal views about a particular topic, regardless of whether or not it relates specifically to UMass? Let’s hope I never have to find out . . .