New York, New York - Governor Kathy Hochul has been accused of overreaching her authority in ordering the City University of New York (CUNY) to remove a job posting for a Palestinian Studies professor.
Students protest Israel's atrocities in Palestine at the City University of New York's Hunter College. © CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
"We seek a historically grounded scholar who takes a critical lens to issues pertaining to including but not limited to: settler colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid, migration, climate and infrastructure devastation, health, race, gender, and sexuality," the job posting read.
A spokesperson for the governor told the , "Governor Hochul has directed CUNY to immediately remove this job posting and conduct a thorough review of the position to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom."
CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez and Board of Trustees Chair William C. Thompson Jr. also issued a on the hiring, saying: "We find this language divisive, polarizing and inappropriate and strongly agree with Governor Hochul’s direction to remove this posting, which we have ensured Hunter College has since done."
Hochul's move has sparked widespread criticism, as it appears to conflate acknowledgment of Palestinian existence and experiences with antisemitism.
"We strongly object to your removal of a job posting for a Palestinian Studies faculty position as a violation of academic freedom at Hunter College," the Professional Staff Congress to Hochul and Rodríguez. "We oppose antisemitism and all forms of hate, but this move is counterproductive. It is an overreach of authority to rule an entire area of academic study out of bounds."
Heba Gowayed, an associate professor of sociology at Hunter College, posted on Bluesky: "A new McCarthy era is upon us. Stupid, depressing, and dangerous as ever. I wonder whose name will carry the dunce cap in the history books. Too many are complicit."
