Marquette withdraws offer of job to Seattle U. professor
Officials at Marquette University in Milwaukee said Thursday that a lesbian scholar from Seattle University who has published works on gender and sexual orientation will no longer be offered a job as dean for the college of arts and sciences.
MILWAUKEE — Marquette University officials said Thursday that a lesbian scholar who has published works on gender and sexual orientation will no longer be offered a job as dean for the college of arts and sciences.
The decision to withdraw the offer from Seattle University professor Jodi O'Brien wasn't about O'Brien's sexual orientation or the quality of her work, said Marquette spokeswoman Mary Pat Pfeil. But, Pfeil said, some of O'Brien's published writings "relating to Catholic mission and identity" were a factor.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the decision drew criticism from some Marquette faculty members. About 100 students protested Thursday, carrying signs in front of Marquette's Alumni Memorial Union.
O'Brien told The Associated Press in an e-mail Thursday night that the situation is disappointing.
"At this time the only comment I can offer is to confirm that I was offered the position of Dean and I accepted it, but there was an intercession by the President before my appointment was announced officially," O'Brien said in the e-mail. "I'm very disappointed. The College of A&S at Marquette is strong and vibrant and I was looking forward to working with the students and faculty there."
She has been with Seattle University since 1995 and has been chairwoman of its anthropology department since 2002.
"This was a decision based on a totality of factors, specifically related to the fit for the candidate to the
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