That the University of Arkansas board of trustees fired Jeff Long, a man of integrity and character, should come as no surprise. This is the same crowd that recently approved removing "most of the books" from Mullins Library "to create more study areas," an action that defies credulity. How is it possible to transform the University of Arkansas into a major research institution while cutting out its heart? Even more disturbing is the board's proposal that theatens to terminate tenured faculty members for being "non-collegial," a subjective and capricious proposition at best.
What the sordid events of the past month reveal is the UA board of trustees has no understanding or grasp of the place of athletics in a university setting, the importance of a library as a book repository, academic freedom or, for that matter, higher education itself.
Evan B. Bukey
Fayetteville
Editorial on 12/01/2017