Law Schools
Longtime U of Montana Law Prof Denied Emeritus Status Decries 'Petty' and 'Inexplicable' Decision
A conservative constitutional scholar who formerly taught at the University of Montana for 23 years has been denied emeritus status in a faculty vote.
Rob Natelson, who retired in May 2010 as a tenured faculty member to join the Independence Institute, said he was disappointed by the “petty” and “inexplicable” decision, reports the Missoulian.
The dean of the law school, Irma Russell, declined to speculate about the faculty’s reasoning. However, she tells the newspaper that emeritus status is a privilege rather than a right and says it was up to each individual law professor to vote his or her conscience.
