Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez

Chapter 13 of SOD is devoted to a case study of Dr. Gonzalez

Note by Kevin Wirth: A widely respected and well-published astronomer, Guillermo Gonzalez claims to have been denied tenure (fired) from Iowa State University in 2007 because of his sympathies with Intelligent Design, even though he never taught his views to his students. A reading of commentary in emails between his ISU colleagues and in other news reports gives credence to his claim.

His Iowa State bio says..."Research Interests: Dr. Gonzalez is primarily interested in studying the late stages of stellar evolution through the use of spectroscopic observations. Recent work includes spectroscopic abundance analysis of post-AGB supergiants and RV Tau variables. He has also undertaken a study of the parent stars of the recently discovered extra-solar planetary systems. The results indicate that these stars have anomalous chemical abundances, suggesting some sort of unusual formation history."

You can read a (not final) draft of the chapter on Gonzalez published in SOD volume I by going here.

You can read portions of several emails exchanged among Gonzalez's colleagues by going here.

May 14, 2007 - (Blog) report written by Ed Brayton: Tenure and the ID Persecution Complex

"Here's what those screaming persecution won't say: they have not one iota of evidence that tenure was denied because Gonzalez is an ID advocate. None. They are presuming that to be the case because it fits the story they've been falsely claiming for years, that the evil Darwinian priesthood is out to destroy anyone who believes in God. It is convenient for them to cry persecution, but there simply is no evidence for it. And here's something else they won't say: people get denied for tenure every single day, all over the country, for a million different reasons, some fair and some unfair."

(Blog) rebuttal written August 24, 2008 by Kevin Wirth at ARN.

May 22, 2007 - (News) WIRED Science report by Brandon Keim: Prominent Astronomer Denied Tenure, Anti-Intelligent Design Bias Alleged

"The head of the astronomy department says Gonzalez doesn't teach intelligent design in the classroom.  His research record suggests that his views -- or, to put it more bluntly, his irrational superstitions -- haven't affected his science. After all, he's not teaching cell biology."

June 1, 2007 - (News) Press Release from Iowa State University: Statement from Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy

On Friday, June 1, I informed Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, of my decision to deny his tenure appeal.

As part of this decision process, I appointed a member of my staff to conduct a careful and exhaustive review of the appeal request and the full tenure dossier, and that analysis was presented to me. In addition, I conducted my own examination of Dr. Gonzalez's appeal with respect to the evidence of research and scholarship. I independently concluded that he simply did not show the trajectory of excellence that we expect in a candidate seeking tenure in physics and astronomy -- one of our strongest academic programs.

Because the issue of tenure is a personnel matter, I am not able to share the detailed rationale for the decision, although that has been provided to Dr. Gonzalez. But I can outline the areas of focus of my review where I gave special attention to his overall record of scientific accomplishment while an assistant professor at Iowa State, since that gives the best indication of future achievement. I specifically considered refereed publications, his level of success in attracting research funding and grants, the amount of telescope observing time he had been granted, the number of graduate students he had supervised, and most importantly, the overall evidence of future career promise in the field of astronomy.

June 8 , 2007 - (News) The Daily Standard report by David Klinghoffer: Tenure Trouble

DESPITE A STELLAR RESEARCH RECORD, Iowa State University astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez is being forced out of his job for the expression--outside the classroom--of an inconvenient personal belief.

In 2004, Gonzalez co-wrote a book called The Privileged Planet. He argued that life on earth and our ability to make scientific discoveries about the cosmos depend on a host of incredibly improbable planetary conditions--the preponderance of which suggested intelligent design rather than cosmic accident as the explanation for the universe.

Gonzalez never taught this material to students. But if he and co-author Jay Richards (a former colleague of mine) are right, then the late astronomer Carl Sagan was wrong when he mocked our human "delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe." Privileged Planet was praised on its dust jacket by senior scholars at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and England's Cambridge University.

However, writing in the Des Moines Register, Professor John Hauptman, another department colleague, honestly admitted that he voted against Gonzalez because of The Privileged Planet; Hauptman conceded that the rejected professor "is very creative, intelligent and knowledgeable, highly productive scientifically and an excellent teacher." (emphasis added)

December 5, 2007 - (News) WIRED Science report by Brandon Keim: Denied Tenure, Astronomer Alleges Intelligent Design Witchhunt

"Intelligent design aside, the quality of Gonzalez's production at Iowa State is the subject of much debate. The Neurotopia blog reports that Gonzalez secured just one-tenth as much grant money as his colleagues. However, his publication record wasn't so thin as some bloggers have suggested; compared to other tenured Iowa State astronomers, he was actually more prolific."