Steven Salaita Settles Lawsuits with University of Illinois

Now we know how much the University of Illinois’ decision to rescind a job offer to professor Steven Salaita over controversial tweets will cost Illinois taxpayers: The Chicago Tribune reports the university’s final bill for the ensuing lawsuits will exceed $2 million. That includes a $600,000 payout to Salaita and $275,000 to Salaita’s lawyers, approved by the school’s trustees today, as well as $1.3 million in its own legal fees.

FIRE has followed the case since the news first broke in 2014 when then-Chancellor Phyllis Wise rescinded Salaita’s job offer after the scholar tweeted politically controversial remarks about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Wise resigned earlier this year, due in significant part to her role in the Salaita scandal.

The University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign made the list earlier this year when FIRE published its rundown of 2014’s 10 worst offenders against campus free speech in The Huffington Post.