Correction: Due to a reporting error in Monday’s issue, the article “Organization attacks ruling to deny tenure” made reference to a quote in an e-mail from Eli Rosenberg, professor and chairman of astronomy. The quote is an official statement from Rosenberg in Gonzalez’s tenure dossier. The Daily regrets the error.

Due to a reporting error in Monday’s issue, the article “Organization attacks ruling to deny tenure” has a quote stating that Dr. Gonzales is an “astrologer,” it should say that Gonzales is an astronomer. The Daily regrets this error.

Due to a reporting error in Monday’s issue, the article “Organization attacks ruling to deny tenure” has a quote starting with “Dr. Gonzalez is not teaching intelligent design” attributed to Casey Luskin, program officer for public policy and legal affairs for the Discovery Institute. The quote should be attributed to Robert Crowther, director of communications for the Discovery Institute. The Daily regrets this error.

The Discovery Institute, a pro-intelligent design organization, released portions of e-mails of ISU professors and administrators “conspiring” to deny tenure to Guillermo Gonzalez, associate professor of physics and astronomy, in a press conference in Des Moines on Monday.

Casey Luskin, program officer for public policy and legal affairs for the Discovery Institute, said “thousands of pages of e-mails” obtained through an Iowa Open Records request from earlier this year hold statements pointing out a possible “hostile work environment” at Iowa State. Luskin said it points to a conspiracy to deny tenure to a “deserving professor” involving not only Iowa State but the Board of Regents as well, who have decided not to use e-mail evidence in its upcoming decision on whether to grant tenure. State Sen. David Hartsuch, R-Bettendorf, was on hand to speak about academic freedom in institutions of higher learning in Iowa.

Much of the e-mails obtained through the open records request have blacked out portions due to it being deemed “personnel information,” by Iowa State.

“Iowa State has refused to disclose and has also refused after repeated requests to give out any real significant information about why portions of these e-mails have been blacked out,” Luskin said.

According to one of the e-mails, Eli Rosenberg, professor and chairman of astronomy, said Gonzalez’s belief in intelligent design “disqualifies him from serving as a science educator.” Luskin said Rosenberg had instructed other faculty members in e-mails “that support for ID as science should be a litmus test for denying tenure to Dr. Gonzalez.”

“What is ISU trying to hide about the hostile work environment and the anti-intelligent design prejudice faced by Professor Gonzalez at ISU?” Luskin asked.

The question of whether Gonzalez was denied tenure on the basis of his past accomplishments was addressed by Luskin and by Gonzalez’s attorneys, Chuck Hurley, president of Iowa Family Policy Center and Tim Reid, chief councilman for the Iowa Liberty and Justice Center, who both said Gonzalez has “exceeded his department’s standards of excellence in research by more than 350 percent.”

Luskin said Gonzalez has been published in more than 65 peer-reviewed publications and in many refereed science journals and had 1,500 citations to his articles and research in scientific journals by the end of 2005.

“Dr. Gonzalez is not teaching intelligent design in classes. The majority of his research is based on astronomy and cosmology. He has stellar reputation as cosmologist and astrologer. Why wouldn’t you want a great scientist like that on your staff?” Luskin said.

A press release given to media at the conference stated “ISU faculty have claimed that ID was not discussed as often as other subjects during tenure deliberations, but that ‘is only because at secret and inappropriate tenure deliberation held via e-mail a year before the official process started, they decided that they wanted Gonzalez out of Iowa State because he supported intelligent design.'”

When asked what a satisfactory outcome would be of this situation to Gonzalez, whether tenure or intervention by some higher court to seek compensation, Hurley said Gonzalez only wants justice to be done.

“The question before him as an individual and the Board of Regents as a credible entity is will they afford justice?” Hurley said.

“The justice will look like the evidence coming in that needs to come in for them to make a decision according to their own rules. That’s a procedural matter of justice. A substantive matter of justice will be the foundation stone that Iowa State has set up for its own standard of academic freedom, according to Guillermo Gonzalez.”

John McCarroll, executive director for university relations, said in an e-mail that out of the last 12 tenure applicants within the astronomy and physics department, four were denied tenure.

However, according to the statistics provided by the provost’s office, on a universitywide basis, 88 to 89 percent of tenure reviews were positive, leaving the remaining 11 to 12 percent being denied tenure.

“I am aware there was a news conference held today by an organization that is advocating for Dr. Gonzales, and his tenure case; this case is on appeal to the Board of Regents right now,” McCarroll said. “President Geoffrey made it quite clear when he denied the appeal of Dr. Gonzales.

He looked at the record of scholarship and research during the six years that Dr. Gonzales had been a member of the faculty team here. He did not indicate consideration of any other factors.

After reviewing Dr. Gonzales’ application twice, from the president’s perspective, he reached the same conclusion – that he did not believe that Dr. Gonzales had achieved in his research and scholarship a level that would earn him tenure.”