Last year I wrote about Ashland University in Ohio and their decision to start hiring only Jews and Christians for their faculty. Well, they reconsidered this and changed their mind. They will stick with the old policy, under which new faculty hires simply have to sign a statement agreeing with the university's mission.

The Plain Dealer reports:

When trustees initially approved the hiring policy in October, it was meant to clarify Ashland's values to job applicants, said Emanuel Sandberg, chairman of the university's board. "It turns out that in the process we created new difficulties," he said. "We weren't trying to create any difficulty for anybody."

Donald Sloan, a music professor and president of the faculty senate, said that during his 13 years at the university and for years before, faculty have signed contracts indicating that they support Ashland's mission statement. That statement says, in part, that "Judeo-Christian values are the foundation of the educational and social environment of the university and shape the character of the institution."

As a private Christianity university, Ashland can do whatever they want, including discriminate on the basis of religion. That doesn't mean, however, that it's such a good idea to do. As long as the professors support Ashland's mission, it shouldn't be a problem. They'll also be able to attract faculty and students from a larger pool.

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