ICYMI: Maitland Jones, OChem, NYU

If you have been otherwise occupied lately (midterms? hanging Halloween decorations? just getting caught up?), you may have missed this little NY Times item that has brought chemistry into national news. To sum up, longtime organic chemistry professor (and textbook author) Maitland Jones was fired by New York University as a direct result of student complaints regarding the course and Dr Jones’ teaching methods. Dr Jones had been a contract (or adjunct) professor at NYU for 15 years, after retiring from Princeton University.

The issue has engendered a lot of discussion in more academic corners of the information world.

Without any editorial judgment one way or the other, just note some of the commentary:

• The NYU/Maitland Jones Debacle by Chemjobber
• Organic Chemistry’s Place in the World, an “In the Pipeline” commentary in Science by Derek Lowe
• Students not to blame for Maitland Jones firing, NYU faculty say, a news item in the Washington Square News, an independent NYU student newspaper, as well as The New York Times article on Maitland Jones was incomplete, an editorial in the same publication
• NYU Chemistry Professof Fired After Students Said His Class Was Too Hard at reason.com
• and more. Lots more.

There’s a lot we don’t know regarding the nature of the complaints — Chemjobber points that out — and more detail might help readers reach their own more informed conclusions. Food for thought and discussion.