UCLA Faculty Demanded Retraction from Chancellor
Fifty-nine law faculty members signed a formal letter criticizing Chancellor Julio Frenk over a recent symposium.
Updated on Sept. 18, 2026 in Law
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UCLA faculty members have demanded that Chancellor Julio Frenk retract a statement criticizing a law school symposium. The event, titled 25 Years After 9/11: Reimagining Freedom, Justice, and Security, featured Department of Defense lawyer Melanie T. Partow.
Why it matters
Faculty members argue the chancellor failed to review the symposium content before criticizing it and claim his public remarks implicitly validated accusations that the event supported terrorism.
A total of 59 UCLA School of Law faculty members joined more than 200 total signatories in requesting the retraction. The chancellor has addressed the Academic Senate to clarify his position following the September event.
The players
Julio Frenk
He began his tenure as the seventh chancellor of UCLA in January 2025.
Melanie T. Partow
She is a Department of Defense lawyer who previously represented Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
The details
The controversy stems from Chancellor Frenk’s criticism of a panel featuring Melanie T. Partow, a defense attorney who represented Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Faculty signatories contend that the chancellor’s commentary misrepresented the academic nature of the September symposium.
Timeline
Julio Frenk began his tenure as UCLA chancellor in January 2025.
The law school symposium took place on September 10 and 11, 2026.
The article detailing faculty pressure was published on September 18, 2026.
Political Context
Opponents of the faculty letter may argue that university leadership has a responsibility to publicly disassociate the institution from events that may be perceived as offensive to victims of terrorism. This incident tests the boundaries of the Chicago Principles on academic freedom regarding administrative responses to faculty-led programming.
Students and residents in Los Angeles may observe increased public discourse regarding university governance and campus free speech policies. This disagreement highlights potential shifts in how UCLA administration manages public perceptions of controversial academic panels.
The takeaway
The tension between administrative oversight and faculty autonomy remains a significant challenge for modern university leadership. Academics and students should monitor how internal communications and public statements influence the culture of open debate on campus.
Further reading
For more context on legal education and institutional policies, visit the Law section.
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Should university leaders issue public rebukes of controversial events held by campus departments?
