IU Chancellor Upholds Firing of Lecturer Jessica Adams

The chancellor rejected a faculty review board's recommendation to reinstate the lecturer after she shared a controversial graphic in class.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Higher Education

IU Chancellor Upholds Firing of Lecturer Jessica Adams

Live Poll

Should public universities be able to fire professors over controversial classroom material?

Indiana University Indianapolis Chancellor Latha Ramchand upheld the firing of lecturer Jessica Adams, rejecting a faculty review board's recommendation that Adams be reinstated and reevaluated for the 2025 academic year. Adams was fired after sharing a controversial graphic in class.

Why it matters

The dispute raises questions about how universities handle academic freedom and the teaching of contested material, as well as how chancellors weigh faculty review board findings. Adams has 15 business days to make a final appeal to IU President Pamela Whitten, and she plans to sue the university with the help of the ACLU of Indiana.

The faculty review board found that IU had not made a reasonable case to support the firing and that essential fairness was not followed, inconsistent with university policy. Adams has 15 business days to file a final appeal, and it remains unclear whether that appeal will succeed before she pursues litigation.

The players

Indiana University

Indiana University is a public research university system in the state of Indiana, with IU Indianapolis serving as its urban campus and a major center for health sciences and graduate education.

Latha Ramchand

Latha Ramchand is the chancellor of Indiana University Indianapolis, responsible for the campus's academic and administrative leadership.

The details

Chancellor Ramchand made the final decision on Adams's firing and sent her response to the review board's recommendation at the last moment. Trouble began after an anonymous complaint was submitted to the university and Senator Jim Banks over Adams's use of "the pyramid of white supremacy" teaching tool, and IU temporarily suspended her around a year ago while launching an investigation into a possible violation of a state law requiring faculty to present diverse viewpoints.

Around 2025: IU temporarily suspended Adams and launched an investigation.
May: Ramchand told Adams she would not be reappointed.
October: Ramchand sent a letter disagreeing with the review board's findings.
2025 academic year: The review board recommended Adams's reevaluation for this year.
Friday, November 13, 2026: Adams publicly announced the upheld punishment.

Higher Education Landscape

The case tests how Indiana's requirement that public university faculty present diverse viewpoints operates in practice when a lecturer's classroom materials are challenged. It also places IU's internal review process, in which a chancellor may overrule a faculty board but must give a written explanation, under scrutiny.

For students and faculty at IU Indianapolis, the outcome shows how classroom teaching tools and anonymous complaints can lead to disciplinary action and personnel decisions. Students enrolled in courses that use contested teaching materials may see changes in how those topics are presented.

The takeaway

Faculty facing discipline over course materials should understand the appeal timelines and review procedures available at their institution. Students and parents can ask how contested material is framed and how instructors address diverse viewpoints.

What happens next

Adams has 15 business days to make a final appeal to President Pamela Whitten, and she has said she plans to sue IU with the help of the ACLU of Indiana.