Distinguished Professor Files Free Speech Retaliation Suit Against Texas Tech

LUBBOCK, Texas – A distinguished professor at Texas Tech University’s Rawls College of Business has filed a federal lawsuit based on claims that school officials violated his First Amendment right to freedom of speech by blocking him from two high-profile promotions in retaliation for his views in opposition to tenure. James C. Wetherbe, Ph.D., says his opinions on tenure caused Texas Tech Provost Bob Smith to drop him from a short list of four finalists to become dean of the Rawls College. In addition, the lawsuit says the provost and former Texas Tech President Guy Bailey actively blocked Dr. Wetherbe’s nomination for a prestigious faculty honor known as a Horn Professorship. Dr. Wetherbe, a Texas Tech distinguished alumnus, holds the Robert G. Stevenson Chaired Professor in Information Technology and is the founding director of the Institute of Internet Buyer Behavior at Texas Tech. He voluntarily resigned tenure at the University