An environmental research scientist at Tulane University recently resigned, accusing the state’s top GOP lawmaker and her school’s administrators of censoring her research on racial disparities.
Kimberly Terrell, former director of community engagement at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, alleges in her public resignation letter she was given a “gag order” on her research after pressure came down from Republican Gov. Jeff Landry.
“The story that came down to me through the chain of command was that Governor Landry threatened to veto any bill with funding for Tulane’s Charity project unless [Tulane President Michael Fitts] did something about the Environmental Law Clinic,” she wrote in her resignation, which accused Tulane of abandoning academic freedom to comply.
“I never imagined that, after seven years of high-profile success, my program would be gutted to appease elected officials and major donors who view the Clinic’s work as an ‘impediment’ to their interests,” Terrell wrote.
Much of Terrell’s research is focused on the so-called Cancer Alley, an 85-mile industrial area along the Mississippi River known for its high pollution levels.
In 2022, Terrell co-published research about air pollution having higher rates among impoverished and black communities. In 2024, she again co-published a report about premature and low birth weights being linked to pollution.
In April of this year, Terrell published research presenting the case that black communities receive fewer jobs than white people in the petrochemical industry despite having the same level of education. She also found some black communities are disproportionately affected by pollution.
In an email from May 4 obtained by the Associated Press, Tulane Law School Dean Marcilynn Burke recapped her meeting with Gov. Landry. She noted that donors to the university and elected officials in the state see her research and the clinic as “an impediment.”
In the same email, Burke wrote that President Fitts thought the clinic’s research and advocacy could jeopardize support for the university’s plan to redevelop New Orleans’ historic Charity hospital as part of a downtown expansion.
In her resignation letter, Terrell alleged “Landry threatened to veto any bill with funding for Tulane’s Charity project unless Fitts did something about the Environmental Law Clinic.”
After feeling pressure from top elected officials, the following week, Terrell claims she was placed under a “gag order.” She was told in an email from Burke she “could not communicate with anyone outside Tulane Law School without each individual communication being pre-approved by the Dean.”
According to the Associated Press, Burke denied requests for Terrell to talk to the media, citing the fact that the correspondence was not “essential functions of the job.”
Terrell then went to the university’s Provost Robin Forman. Terrell wrote that he “refused to acknowledge my right to freely conduct and disseminate research” and “let slip that my job description was likely going to be rewritten.”
In an emailed statement to The College Fix, Michael Strecker, assistant vice president of news and media relations at Tulane University, said the university does “not comment on personnel matters, including the resignation of staff employees.”
“Tulane is fully committed to protecting academic freedom and the strong pedagogical value of law clinics. We have not limited or hindered the clinic from pursuing its mission to promote student learning and development,” he said via email.
He added the university is receiving “input from an independent, third-party review” to understand how it can support the university’s mission and goals.
Professor Terrell did not respond to a request for comment.
She concluded her resignation letter by calling for a defense of the work the law clinic had done.
“I cannot remain silent as this university sacrifices academic integrity for political appeasement and pet projects. Our work is too important, and the stakes are too high, to sit back and watch special interests replace scholarship with censorship. I hope that you will join me in publicly defending the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic,” she wrote.
A rally in her defense was held in mid-June on campus.
“We can no longer stay silent as our rights and freedoms are being trampled upon,” said Tulane Professor Michelle Lacey at the rally. “We believe in the value of our work. And we have committed our lives to the pursuit of knowledge. Our conviction is unwavering. And we call upon our university leaders to stand with us.”
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