Theresa Ann Cameron (January 29, 1954, in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

– May 2012) was the first African-American woman to be awarded tenure in the College of Design at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

, in 2000.

Background

After spending her entire childhood in foster care, Cameron put herself through college, with a full scholarship to Boston College and then a transfer to the State University of New York, Buffalo. She eventually obtained her Doctorate in Design from

Harvard Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban ...

in 1991. Her difficult childhood experiences are chronicled in her book ''Foster Care Odyssey in America: A Black Girl's Story'' published in 2002, and detailed by Christel Hyden.

Controversy

On September 7, 2008, ASU President

Michael M. Crow Michael Maurice Crow (born October 11, 1955) is an American academic administrator and parking lot executive. He is the 16th and current president of Arizona State University, having succeeded Lattie F. Coor on July 1, 2002. During his tenure at ...

fired Cameron, an Associate Professor with tenure, for "plagiarism of syllabi" and two other charges. Cameron's firing is the only known case of a tenured faculty member being fired for using another instructor's syllabus without attribution, and the infraction is not regarded as very serious in the teaching professions, where plagiarism in actual research work is significantly frowned upon. The move to fire Cameron was strongly opposed by the University Faculty Senate (Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure), who were overruled by Crow. Cameron filed suit on August 13, 2006, in the U.S. District Court in Phoenix seeking an injunction and other relief against the Arizona Board of Regents and Arizona State University, alleging violations of federal civil rights and employment laws that make it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of disability (the Americans with Disabilities Act), gender or race. She alleged her support for a minority colleague, and a refused appeal to her Dean,

Wellington Reiter Wellington "Duke" Reiter (born 1957), FAIA, is an American architect and urban designer, and a Senior Adviser at Arizona State University. Biography Reiter graduated with a B. Arch. from Tulane University in 1981, and an M. Arch. from the Harv ...

, about her lower than average salary, were examples of workplace discrimination. Cameron sued ASU for discrimination, but lost the case against ASU on appeal in May, 2011.

Heatlh and death

Cameron suffered from heart problems, including a heart attack in February 2007, and depression. She died in 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Theresa 1954 births 2012 deaths Arizona State University faculty Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni