In 1915, the University of Pennsylvania's Trustees fired economist Scott Nearing in retaliation for his activism in the campaign against child labor. Nearing's termination sparked a national debate and helped to rewrite the history of academic freedom in America. To mark the 100th anniversary of the Nearing affair, and to explore the status of academic freedom in contemporary higher education, The Penn Libraries, along with the School of Arts and Sciences, Penn Law, the Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost are sponsoring a panel discussion and exhibition devoted to the topic on Tuesday, October 27th, 2015 from 3:00-6:00pm in the Penn Libraries’ Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts.

The distinguished panel of scholars that will explore the status of tenure and academic freedom in 2015 include:

• Claire Finkelstein (Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania and past chair of the University

of Pennsylvania Faculty Senate)

• Stanley Fish (Professor of Humanities and Law, Florida International University, and Professor,

Cardozo Law School)

• Ann Franke (President, Wise Results, LLC., Former Staff Counsel, AAUP)

• Bruce Kuklick (Professor of History, the University of Pennsylvania)

Peter Conn (Professor of English and Education, University of Pennsylvania) will serve as moderator.

A reception will immediately follow the panel discussion. An exhibition of Scott Nearing materials will be open to the public in the Lea Library on the sixth floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center from 2pm until the reception ends.

If you plan to attend these events, please RSVP at: www.library.upenn.edu/forms/eventsresponse13.html