Dan Sullivan

State Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro)--chair of the Higher Education Subcommittee to the General Assembly's Legislative Council--introduced three higher-education funding bills during this fiscal session.

1. UA Fayetteville:

Sullivan proposed barring state agencies from distributing monies, public or private, to the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville's King Fahd Center for Middle Eastern Studies--seeking "to end the King Fahd Center." (Recall my reporting on this anti-Western indoctrination factory over the last two years.)

Sullivan withdrew this legislation for now--opting instead to hold hearings: "I plan to hear testimony, review financials, submissions and operations in the coming months," as well as possible violations of state law, among other things, Sullivan said.

Sullivan told The Jonesboro Sun that he believes the Middle Eastern Center has violated a number of state laws, including the governor's executive order prohibiting the indoctrination of students. He intends to meet again with UA-Fayetteville officials to work together on balancing the curriculum and looking at how courses are taught.

2. Middle East Studies Association:

Sullivan proposed prohibiting any state-supported higher-education institution from providing funds to the Middle East Studies Association, which endorsed the destructive Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel in March 2022. Arkansas enacted anti-BDS legislation in 2017. Sullivan withdrew this proposal, intending to include the issue in his aforedescribed hearings instead.

3. UA-Little Rock:

Sullivan seeks to prohibit the University of Arkansas-Little Rock's William H. Bowen School of Law from establishing an online degree. This paper's description of Sullivan's proposal recounted that:

Law school dean Colin Crawford raised the online idea last year to faculty, a majority of whom then voted in favor;

Current students, faculty, alumni, and others began raising concerns about an online shift last summer;

Results of survey questions distributed by the school revealed significant opposition to moving online. After which, Crawford put the idea on hold, saying that "there's too much chatter--fed by misinformation--that got ahead of what's going on."

I can't speak to the chatter, but the wide opposition conveyed to me was fueled by legitimate concerns, which I presented to you Dear Readers here. My editor nominated those columns for an award.

Sullivan said he wanted a commitment from UA-Little Rock's administration that it would put plans for an online law degree on hold and have a much broader discussion about "what that entails, what it looks like, and why it is necessary."

UA-Little Rock's spokesperson Carrie Phillips said: "[W]e agree that Bowen won't implement an online degree program in [20]27 and that robust discussions with all stakeholders would be in order before pursuing anything . . . [W]e will prioritize thoughtful engagement with all stakeholders before making any decisions about whether to move forward." Sullivan withdrew his budget amendment given this commitment.

In March, Sullivan brought 19 framed copies of the Ten Commandments to the Bowen Law School, requesting they be posted in accordance with the recent law requiring their display when donated.

This paper described that:

Sullivan previously delivered roughly 50 Ten Commandments posters to Arkansas State University;

UA-Fayetteville installed Ten Commandments posters throughout its campus last fall, following the donation of roughly 500. (That included the law school.)

After Sullivan's donation, Crawford and UA-Little Rock Provost Ann Bain approved implementing policies proposed by an ad hoc committee--including holding a forum, which occurred last week.

Professor Terrence Cain, who teaches constitutional law, ably discussed the Supreme Court's razor-thin splits in the relevant, decades-old precedents. Only one justice from those days remains on the court--Clarence Thomas--who, unsurprisingly, has a conservative view of the Establishment Clause. (Did I mention that Thomas cited my coauthored paper in declaring affirmative action unconstitutional?)

Professor Michael Geiselhart responded to claims that posting the Commandments in schools is unconstitutional with the recent federal appeals court decision holding the opposite for Texas. So the Supreme Court's future action remains unknown.

Sullivan attended the forum solely as an audience member--but wound up answering questions from students and faculty after being requested to participate in the Q&A.

As this editorial page soundly commended, Bowen students outshined those from Stanford and elsewhere who shamefully shouted down alternative views. (Stanford's students' self-indulgence exceeded my referenced maxim that "young people should be given a bit of slack/grace.")

Unexpectedly, Crawford concluded with: "So I'm actually going to close with a question to Senator Sullivan that I'm sure is on the minds of many people here. So you brought those 19 [Ten] Commandments to the law school. You could have gone to any school in Pulaski County or Jonesboro where you're from. You could have gone to the provost's office and asked that they go on main campus [or gone] to Pulaski Tech, and, but you came here to the law school, and I believe, haven't gone elsewhere earlier, or last week, actually. [And] you also then submitted a piece of 'special legislation' that would have had the effect of tying up the university budget if, if the law school did not, was, was not prohibited from having an online program. So the question is, because I've been asked it many times, what's [your] beef with us. Why [are you] singling out the school of law?"

Sullivan politely responded: "First of all, I'm not singling [the law school] out. I took [the posters previously] to Jonesboro schools. I think I had 400 that I took--close to that--[and] I took [several of] them to Arkansas State University. I had other legislators [take signs to other schools].

"I think there were over 500 taken to the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville by other legislators. I don't know how many were purchased throughout the state by all legislators or private people. So people chose wherever they want to send them.

"I particularly think it's a great place--for our law schools--[to post these signs]. This [forum] wouldn't have happened if I hadn't brought those [signs]. And I think this is a great session here, for people to express [themselves]. You have your professors today [who] are talking [about these issues]. You have students talking. What a great opportunity to discuss the law.

"So if you feel, if you feel singled out--you're certainly free to feel that way--but it's not my intent. It's my intent to engage [the] law school . . . "

Sullivan continued: "The other [question] was about, why did I take the position of putting a hold on the [university's] budget? [I did so] because I had a number of people in the law school and outside of law school, former graduates--people who are attorneys that went to school here that are now in the profession--[raise concerns].

"People talk[ed] about retaliation; they were afraid to--if they brought [concerns]--they'd be retaliated against."

My colleague Josh Silverstein elaborates: "The dean castigated me in my annual review for my opposition to moving the part-time program online and, surprisingly, for criticisms against the online proposal leveled by others whom I don't control. He later accused me of resisting the change in bad faith, even though much of the Bowen community is similarly opposed."

Sullivan concluded with: "You know, . . . if people come to me and say, Dan, would you do this--and I agree with it--I'll do it . . . And if you [have a] need and have an ask and it's hard, I will absolutely listen to you, and if I can help you, I'll do it."

This is your right to know.

Robert Steinbuch, the Arkansas Bar Foundation Professor at the Bowen Law School, is a Fulbright Scholar and author of the treatise "The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act." His views do not necessarily reflect those of his employer.