OMAHA, Neb.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman says no one strong-armed him into canceling the visit of William Ayers, and that if they had, he would have resigned.
Perlman made the remarks Monday during a news conference in Lincoln with reporters. He said during the conference that he felt he had to address suggestions that he was ordered by either the NU Board of Regents or university President J.B. Milliken to cancel the controversial visit.
“If I had received such an order, I would have resigned,” Perlman said.
Ayers, an education professor in Illinois, had been slated to speak about education issues at a Nov. 15 conference at UNL.
Ayers was a founder of the Weather Underground, a group that claimed responsibility for bombing several government buildings, and has become a lightning rod in the U.S. presidential campaign.
Perlman reiterated that Ayers’ visit was canceled for safety reasons and denied that the numerous calls of Nebraska political leaders — such as Gov. Dave Heineman and various members of Congress — influenced his decision.
