| | Associated Press
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- English professor Murray Sperber plans
to return to Indiana University next spring, six months after he
left campus because of death threats and harassment from defenders
of coach Bob Knight.
Sperber, a longtime critic of Knight, took a leave of absence
last summer shortly after the university announced Knight must
abide by a zero-tolerance behavior policy.
Now that Knight has been fired for violating that policy,
Sperber is ready to return. He met this week with the chairman of
the university's English department to discuss coming back to
campus.
The meeting in Bloomington came amid a tour to promote Sperber's
fourth book on collegiate athletics, "Beer and Circus: How
Big-time College Sports Is Crippling Undergraduate Education."
Sperber said the theme of the book stems from his commitment to
undergraduate teaching, which prompted him to return to campus.
But Sperber's long-term future with IU is still uncertain.
Sperber, 59, could take advantage of an early retirement plan if he
stayed another five years, until age 64.
"I love Indiana University," he said. "I would very much like
to spend the rest of my career here, but I've got to be realistic.
If a senior position in my field opens at another university, I
would be interested in applying."
Sperber, who joined the university in 1971, is the lowest paid
full-time professor in the English department. His $52,254 salary
is nearly $10,000 less than the next lowest paid full professor.
In the meantime, Sperber is promoting his book. He finished the
manuscript in January. It contains nothing referring to the crisis
and controversy that culminated in Knight's firing this month.
University president Myles Brand said this week he hadn't read
the book, which was released Wednesday. But he said undergraduate
education, research and athletics can coexist.
"Some of the best researchers are also some of the best
teachers," Brand said. "We can walk and chew gum at the same
time."
Sperber's book does make reference to Brand's tenure at the University of Oregon and mentions Knight's clash with Brand's predecessor,
Thomas Ehrlich. But Sperber said the book isn't about IU or Knight.
"Myles Brand is most interesting only in that he is typical of
college presidents," Sperber said. "I think for a long time Brand
believed that you could square the circle -- that you could have
big-time college sports -- and it wouldn't have negative effects.
Now he's reaped the whirlwind." | |
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