Critics of Chancellor Thomas Keon’s “offensive and insensitive” comments during PNW’s fall commencement say the university’s reputation is threatened by his continuing presence. 

“Our reputation will be affected by this situation,” said Thomas Roach, chair of the Faculty Senate at PNW.  “We need to restore dignity.”

At the Dec. 10 fall commencement, Keon referenced a speech by a keynote speaker who said he sometimes uses a made-up language. Keon uttered some sounds that observers said mocked Asian languages. The chancellor then said the fake language was “sort of my Asian version” of the keynoter’s made-up language.

Video of the chancellor’s remarks went viral, spurring criticism from PNW faculty, student groups, elected officials, alumni, Asian-American associations and social justice organizations. 

After the initial public outcry, Keon released a Dec. 14 statement of apology.

“I am truly sorry for my unplanned, off-the-cuff response to another speaker, as my words have caused confusion, pain and anger,” said Keon’s statement. “We are all human. I made a mistake and I assure you I did not intend to be hurtful and my comments do not reflect my personal or our institutional values.”

On Dec. 22, Purdue Board of Trustee Chair Mike Berghoff released a statement that said Purdue trustees had an opportunity to review the commencement ceremony video to see the context of Keon’s remarks. The statement said trustees concluded they were “offensive and insensitive,” “in poor taste” and “unbecoming of his role as chancellor”. 

The statement also said the board issued a formal reprimand to Keon. This has not quieted critics. 

A national petition on change.org calling for Keon’s resignation has collected more than 9,400 signatures. The Faculty Senate passed a resolution of no confidence in the chancellor by a vote of 135 to 20 and called for his resignation. The Urban League of Northwest Indiana removed Keon from its board of directors. A letter from the Asian American Scholars calling for Keon’s resignation garnered more than 1,000 signatures. 

Even Keon’s predecessor, Chancellor Emeritus James Yackel, dictated a critical statement from a hospital where he was being treated for a heart condition.

“The faculty have taken a bold step by voting no confidence in current leadership,” said Yackel, who was chancellor of PNW’s predecessor institution Purdue Calumet University from 1990 to 2001. “Now it is necessary that you respect and honor that faculty evaluation by resigning. What is at stake is the university’s future.”

National organizations joined in. 

“How can parents be confident in sending their children to an institution of higher learning when they don’t see a firm commitment to true inclusion, diversity and equity,” wrote Richard Konda on behalf of the Asian Law Alliance, a group that protested Keon’s comments and Purdue trustees’ decision to reprimand him.

Questions about the potential impact of Keon’s remarks on student and faculty recruiting were referred by PNW administrators to Tim Doty, senior director of Media and Public Relations at West Lafayette. He responded only by forwarding a link to the trustee statement, which closes with the line: “The university does not intend to comment further on this personnel matter.”

But critics say the issue must be addressed.

“The reputation of the entire Purdue System has been damaged,” said Lee Artz, professor of Media Studies and a member of the Faculty Senate’s executive committee. “Recruiting students and faculty may become more difficult if the board [of trustees] does not act soon to remove Keon.

“He demeaned, humiliated, and disrespected an entire community of Asian-Americans and Asians – our students, our faculty, our parents and our alumni,” he said. “His tepid apology only underscores his disregard to Asians and Asian-Americans.”

Asian students make up about 3.4% of PNW’s enrollment, according to the university’s Fact Book.

Members of the Faculty Senate have been organizing across Purdue campuses. 

“The chancellor can’t stay,” said Roach. “He lost the [Faculty Senate] vote of confidence and needs to go. 

We will keep pressing the issue until that happens.”