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Four former tenured professors at Centenary University in New Jersey, including the faculty union president and vice president, are suing the institution for abruptly firing them in 2019, NJ.com reported. In addition to violating the terms of their employment, the plaintiffs allege that Centenary discriminated against them, as two are older than 60 and one is transgender.
“While Centenary’s conduct in firing our clients is outrageous given the many sacrifices they made to the school over the years, we are even more troubled by the school’s targeting of this particular subset of tenured professors,” Paul Hunczak, the professors’ lawyer, told NJ.com.
The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Previously Centenary announced layoffs, citing a need to build academic programs that align with the job market. The university did not declare financial exigency, which by its own policy is the only reason it may terminate well-performing tenured professors in continuing programs. The professors say a mediation panel “rubber-stamped” their dismissals anyway.
