Hamline faculty urge university president to resign amid dispute over Islamic art, academic freedom

Hamline University faculty on Tuesday overwhelmingly called for college President Fayneese Miller to resign, saying they "no longer have faith" in her ability to lead the institution after administrators "mishandled" a controversy over Islamic art and academic freedom.

"It became clear that the harm that's been done and the repair that has to be done, that new leadership is needed to move that forward," Jim Scheibel, president of the Hamline University Faculty Council, said in an interview Tuesday.

Miller had not responded to requests for comment by Tuesday evening. In an interview Monday, Miller said the episode has been painful and uncomfortable and described it as "a learning experience."

The call for Miller's resignation comes at a tense time for the St. Paul private university, which drew international attention after it decided not to renew the contract of an art history instructor who showed images of the Prophet Muhammad in class.

During an online art history class in October, adjunct instructor Erika López Prater showed students two centuries-old artworks that depicted the prophet receiving a revelation from the Angel Gabriel that would later form the basis for the Qur'an.

One student in her class, Aram Wedatalla, president of the Muslim Student Association, contacted administrators and told them she was offended and that the instructor's "trigger warning" was proof she shouldn't have shown the images. Some Muslims believe images of the Prophet Muhammad are strictly prohibited while others have artwork of him in their homes.

Fellow instructors and groups promoting academic freedom largely rallied around López Prater, saying she had done more than most professors to prepare students for the images and to allow them to avoid seeing them.

Local and national Muslim groups offered differing opinions. Some said the school had to act to protect a student whose faith had been offended, while others said the university's decision to describe the incident as Islamophobic ignored diversity of thought within Islam.

Faculty members troubled by Miller's handling of the incident met multiple times to decide how they wanted to respond, Scheibel said.

Scheibel said 71 of 92 faculty members who participated in a council meeting Tuesday approved the statement that called for Miller to resign immediately. Twelve voted against it, and another nine abstained. Scheibel said the university has about 130 faculty members.

The faculty members' statement said they affirm both academic freedom and their responsibility to provide an inclusive learning environment and "these values neither contradict nor supersede each other."

It said they reject "unfounded accusations of Islamophobia" and threats that have recently targeted students and other community members. It calls for "due process for all Hamline community members."

López Prater is suing Hamline for defamation, religious discrimination and breach of contract, among other claims. After that suit was filed, Miller and Board of Trustees Chair Ellen Watters issued a joint statement that said: "Like all organizations, sometimes we misstep."

"In the interest of hearing from and supporting our Muslim students, language was used that does not reflect our sentiments on academic freedom," the pair wrote. "Based on all that we have learned, we have determined that our usage of the term 'Islamophobic' was therefore flawed. We strongly support academic freedom for all members of the Hamline community. We also believe that academic freedom and support for students can and should co-exist."

Miller became Hamline's president in 2015, coming from the University of Vermont, where she was dean of the college of education and social services. She previously spent 20 years at Brown University, where she served as director for the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America.