UT Chancellor Donde Plowman officially terminated former anthropology professor Tamar Shirinian on Feb. 11 for a social media comment she made following Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
“Your words celebrated a gruesome murder, which horrifically took place on a college campus similar to our own, and then went on to callously demean the grief and loss felt by the widow and young children of the victim while also mocking any grief felt by others who sympathized with the surviving family,” Plowman said in her Feb. 11 letter to Shirinian informing her of the decision.
Shirinian faced termination proceedings initiated by Plowman Sept. 15 after commenting online about Kirk’s assassination, saying “the world is better off without him in it.” The comment surfaced online Sept. 14, drawing the attention of state politicians and the UT community.
Shirinian has since filed a complaint against Chancellor Plowman, President Randy Boyd and Faculty Senate President Charles Noble in both their personal and official capacities.
Plowman cited UT board of trustees policy and the Faculty Handbook as her grounds for termination. She specifically referenced BT0006, which says that a faculty member “should strive to maintain the mutual respect and confidence of his or her colleagues” and “show respect for the opinions of others.”
“You failed to meet these expectations,” Plowman said.
Plowman sent the letter one day after Shirinian amended her complaint to contain 20 additional UT administrators in their individual capacities. The added defendants included several members of the UT board of trustees as well as Melissa Tindell, the system’s vice president for communications and marketing.
The university terminated Shirinian under Faculty Handbook policy 3.12.3 for misconduct using expedited termination. The expedited termination procedure allows the chief academic officer to bypass input from the department head and dean in an instance of “acts or credible threats of harm to a person or university property.” The chief academic officer is instead required to consult with the chancellor, president and faculty senate leadership.
“The antagonizing tenor of your words makes you a target for potential retributive violence that could put our students and faculty in harm’s way, as well as irreparably damage the public’s trust in our University,” Plowman said in the letter. “I have a responsibility to minimize any such risks.”
At an October faculty discussion, Provost John Zomchick said Plowman “took on the role” of the chief academic officer when terminating Shirinian, prompting some faculty members to question the university’s commitment to due process.
Shirinian’s trial date is scheduled for Jan. 19, 2027.
