Fact Sheet Concerning Termination of Dr Michael Salla's Peace Ambassador Program at American University, Washington DC
August 4, 2004
On August 3, 2004, I was interviewed on George Noory's Coast to Coast and was asked about the status of my present association with the Center for Global Peace, American University, Washington DC. I informed George that as a result of my exopolitics research, the program I had been developing, the Peace Ambassador Program, was summarily terminated in late April, 2004, and my reappointment as a Researcher in Residence would not be renewed at its expiry at the end of August, 2004. I described these decisions to George as an example of censorship and intimidation of academic researchers exploring extraterrestrial related topics. I mentioned that I was currently appealing these decisions through American University's internal review process. George expressed great interest in the matter which was also of special interest to his listening audience who were encouraged to intervene on my behalf with courteous emails to the President of American University whose email address I had supplied to George. What follows for all those interested in a possible case of censorship and intimidation of an academic researcher of extraterrestrial related issues, is a time-line of events concerning the termination of my Program and the appeal process with relevant information on key individuals involved.
Michael E. Salla, PhD
www.exopolitics.org
TIME LINE OF CORRESPONDENCE & EVENTS
February 17, 2004. A phone conversation occurs with Betty Sitka, the Assistant Director of the Center for Global Peace, who 'advised' me of the 'adverse impact' on my academic appointment if the Washington Post goes ahead with a story on an alleged meeting between President Eisenhower and extraterrestrials, in which I had been interviewed and where my academic association with the Center was mentioned. The story appeared on February 19, and the subsequent tone in communication with the Center changed from friendly to 'icy'. For copy of the Post story, see: http://www.exopolitics.org/Wash-Post-Ike%20and%20ETs.htm
April 30. Betty Sitka advised me in a telephone call that Professor Abdul Aziz Said, Director of the Center for Global Peace, had authorized the termination of the Peace Ambassador Program due to unauthorized changes to the program. She advised that all links to the Program had been removed from the Center's website, and that I was to remove all links from my website to the Center. She advised that a letter would be sent to me outlining the justification for the decisions undertaken by Prof Said.
May 13. Prof Said formally advised me of his decisions in a letter (Click to Read) whereby he explained his decisions to terminate the Peace Ambassador Program and not to request a renewal of my appointment were taken as a consequence of what he described as my "new direction in research" [exopolitics], and alleged changes to the Program without his or the Center's approval. .
May 21. In a response to the May 13 letter, I wrote a letter (dated May 21) where I denied making changes of the nature alleged, and specifically asked Prof Said to explain what changes had made that so concerned him, and why I had not been first informed of his concern before terminating the program without any consultation. I protested what I perceived to be censorship and intimidation of my new research in exopolitics.
June 15. In a letter outlining his response (dated June 15) Prof Said gave no detailed response to the questions in my (May 21) letter and merely reaffirmed his decision due to the alleged changes he claims to have occurred as a result of my "new direction in research" [viz. exopolitics].
June 28. In a letter to the President of American University, Prof Benjamin Ladner. (incorrectly dated May 13) I protested the decision by Prof Abdul Aziz Said to terminate the Peace Ambassador Program, the non-renewal of my appointment; and the 'censorship and intimidation' I believed was being conducted against my new research interest in exopolitics. I requested the intervention of President Ladner to promote a satisfactory resolution of the matter.
July 26. I received a phone call from President Ladner's assistant, Meg Hawthorne, advising me that he had referred the matter to the Dean of Academic Affairs, Prof Ivy Broder, who would subsequently deal with the matter.
July 30. As a consequence of a phone conversation with Prof Broder on July 29, I sent a fax to Prof Broder lodging a protest against the decisions taken by Prof Said and requested her to intervene in the matter.
[Update] August 9. I received a letter from Professor Broder upholding Prof Said's decision. She supported Prof Said over the cancellation of my Peace Ambassador Program on resource grounds that it was not viable, and on programatic grounds that my "current research emphasis on exopolitics" did "not have a place in the academic programs or priorities of the GCP [Center for Global Peace] or American University." She did not address my complaints that in his May 13 letter he referred to unauthorized changes that I had allegedly made, that there had been no consultation with me prior to the Program's immediate termination, and of censorship/intimidation over my exopolitics research. She made no effort to promote a mutually satisfactory resolution over the matter which would have involved discussions over how to make the Peace Ambassador program more viable by incorporating elements of my exopolitics research that had widespread public interest.
Contact Details:
Prof Benjamin Ladner,
President, American University,
4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington DC 20016
Email: ladner@american.edu
Ph: 202 885 2121Prof Abdul Aziz Said
Director, Center for Global Peace
American University
3201 New Mexico Ave., NW, Suite 350
Washington DC 20016
Email: asaid@american.edu
Ph: 202 885 1632Prof Ivy Broder
Dean of Academic Affairs
4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington DC 20016
Email: ibroder@american.edu
Ph: 202 885 2125Dr Michael E. Salla can be reached at:
Email: drsalla@exopolitics.org