ACSH trustee Dr. James Enstrom is still at the University of California at Los Angeles, despite an earlier notice that his last day would be Monday, Aug. 30. As you may recall, Dr. Enstrom was told he wouldn’t be reappointed because his “research is not aligned with the academic mission” of UCLA’s School of Public Health, where he’s worked as an epidemiologist for 36 years. Dr. Enstrom believes he was being fired for speaking out on California’s pending air quality regulations that will be very costly for the state’s trucking industry; his research indicates the regulations will have little or no effect on premature death.
After 20 California state legislators wrote a letter to the University of California chancellor highlighting their concerns about Dr. Enstrom’s situation — which made the homepage of Foxnews.com yesterday — the professor was notified at 5:01 p.m. Monday that his UCLA appointment would continue during his appeals process, possibly until March 31, 2011.
“We’re very pleased Jim is going to be given due process, and we’ll see how it turns out,” says ACSH’s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, who has worked to publicize Enstrom’s plight.