ACADEMIC 'STRIPPED OF TITLE' AFTER CRITIQUING CRITICAL RACE THEORY
A university professor claims he was stripped of his academic title after he critiqued critical race theory (CRT).
Dr David Harris was professor emeritus at Plymouth Marjon University until last September when he was stripped of the title.
Internal emails seen by The Telegraph show that university staff dismissed his research as “controversial” following the publication of his critique of the contested racial concept which claims racism is embedded in every structure in society.
Dr Harris lost his emeritus professorship, a title given to him in 2011 when he retired from the university after 37 years of service, on the grounds that his “tone” in emails did not reflect the “Marjon values”.
He is now demanding answers over whether his self-published 2024 criticism of CRT played a part in his dismissal by Professor Claire Taylor, the university’s vice-chancellor.
“This has been awful and they really must take research seriously,” Dr Harris said. “And they must learn to tolerate academics, even if they do disagree and produce controversial research. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s what academics do.”
Emails disclosed to Dr Harris in a subject access request (SAR) included one between two senior members of staff in April 2025 which said the vice-chancellor believed Dr Harris’s research was “controversial”.
One of the staff members said the vice-chancellor “had made it clear to me that the research he undertakes in the Marjon name is poor quality and often controversial”.
Dr Harris said he believes the remarks related to his critique of CRT, which was published the previous year.
“Maybe (the vice-chancellor) thinks this is a Right-wing Trumpist denunciation of critical race theory?” he said. “In fact, it’s a rather dull academic examination of the central arguments in critical race theory and whether they apply to Britain.
“Critical race theory has done some useful research, especially in the early days when they exposed a lot of serious omissions, especially in American law, which just neglected the issue of black people and their rights altogether.
“But it has overcommitted. It tends to find prejudice and things like microaggressions everywhere. So that stops it, I think, from investigating things particularly well.”
Formal complaint
The Campaign for Academic Freedom (CAF) has written to the university demanding the return of the emeritus title to Dr Harris, saying it was removed without due process.
The university also did not claim Dr Harris had breached the only ground for removal given when he received the emeritus title – bringing the university into disrepute.
Dr Harris said the rise of cancel culture in universities meant it was now “very difficult” for academics to investigate “controversial” subjects like CRT.
“I think it’s a lot easier if you are retired and emeritus, because lots of people who are still employed have reported getting into difficulty if they face controversial topics, and difficulty in getting funded to do them and in getting published,” he said.
The chain of events prior to Dr Harris’s dismissal began in July 2024 when his university email and online library access stopped working.
He was assured by Prof Taylor that the disruption “did not affect” his emeritus status, but in March last year a staff member at the university’s library mistakenly concluded his emeritus title had “lapsed” in 2015, meaning his access would not be restored.
The academic then submitted a formal complaint to the university, which was investigated by human resources consultants BRHR.
The firm’s probe concluded that Dr Harris’s title “had not been revoked” in 2015 and that his “perception of unfair treatment” was “understandable”.
‘Values and standards’
In August, Prof Taylor issued an apology for “some of the communications” his SAR had uncovered – including the claim his research was “controversial” – but said the university would “not enter into further correspondence on the matters”.
When Dr Harris replied criticising a member of university staff for not having “apologised for the scandalous suggestion that I ceased to be an emeritus professor in 2015”, Prof Taylor said he had corresponded with the university in an “unacceptable” manner.
“I recognise that you may still feel wronged, and it is not our intention to dismiss your feelings,” she wrote. “However, I must also be clear that the tone and content of your recent communications have not been in line with the values and standards we expect from those that are affiliated with the University.”
The vice-chancellor added that she believed it “sensible to draw the University’s relationship with yourself to a conclusion”.
“This letter therefore confirms the withdrawal of your emeritus professor status,” she wrote.
‘No investigation’
The CAF has now written to the university saying Dr Harris’s dismissal was “procedurally improper” and that his emeritus status should be restored.
Freddie Attenborough, research manager at the CAF, said: “No investigation was conducted, no panel convened, and no recognisable process followed.
“The decision was inconsistent with the terms of Dr Harris’s 2011 appointment and with the University’s own prior confirmations of his status. The vice-chancellor should now remedy this by formally reinstating his emeritus title.”
A spokesman for the university said: “Plymouth Marjon University recognises the contribution of all its emeritus professors, past and present.
“Decisions on emeritus status follow established policies, and the university is committed to academic freedom, free expression, and fair governance. We do not comment on individual cases.”
2026-01-10T13:35:41Z