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Edmund Santurri, Professor at St. Olaf College

From February 2022 to April 2022
St. Olaf College (Private college or university)
Northfield, MN, USA

Identity of Speakers

  • Edmund Santurri
    Faculty/Staff
    Other

    Professor of Religion and Philosophy at St. Olaf College, former director of St. Olaf's Institute for Freedom and Community

Additional Information

  • Incident Nature:
    University-sponsored lecture/address/panel
  • Incident Political Orientation:
    Left wing
  • Incident Responses:
    Faculty sanctioned
  • Incident Status:
    No litigation
  • Did not involve Speech Codes

Summary

St. Olaf appointed Professor Edmund Santurri as the Director of the college’s Institute for Freedom and Community through August 2023, but the college rescinded Professor Santurri’s appointment in April 2022.

Professor Santurri believes he was removed because of a virtual event he held with Peter Singer, a philosopher who has argued that parents should have the right to end the lives of children born with severe disabilities.

Over 1,000 people singed a petition to voice their opposition to the event with Peter Singer. After the event, the President of St. Olaf met with Professor Santurri and mentioned that the Board of Regents were unhappy with the event. Shortly thereafter, the President informed Professor Santurri that he would no longer serve as the Director of the Institute.