Marquette University has pulled an offer to hire a new dean for the College of Arts and Sciences from a lesbian who has written scholarly works on gender and sexual orientation, a move that is sparking criticism from faculty and a protest by students.
A university spokeswoman said the decision to withdraw an offer to hire Seattle University professor Jodi Oâ??Brien wasnâ??t about her sexual orientation or the quality of her scholarship. It did have to do with some of Oâ??Brienâ??s published writings “relating to Catholic mission and identity,” Marquette spokeswoman Mary Pat Pfeil said.