Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be on the Texas Tech University payroll for only a year. But that’s not stopping several professors from protesting their soon-to-be colleague’s new job, the college’s student newspaper reported ^[1] today.

Alberto Gonzales (DOJ)

A nine-page petition signed by 70 professors and obtained by The Daily Toreador said it was unethical to hire Gonzales to teach a political science class this fall and help recruit minority students. The document said Gonzales shouldn’t have been hired because Texas Tech chancellor Kent Hance, who served in the U.S. House for six years as a Democrat before becoming a Republican in 1985, was a “good friend” of Gonzales. Professor Walter Schaller, who created the petition, told The Toreador that the chancellor’s job is only “to raise money and deal with the legislature.”

“The idea [to hire Gonzales] came from Hance and it’s very difficult to say no to the chancellor,” Schaller told the newspaper.

The petition also said the former Bush official had several “ethical failings” during his tenure as White House counsel and Attorney General that tarnish his credibility. These “failings” included the U.S. Attorney purge, denying habeas corpus and supporting President Bush over the Constitution, according to the petition.

“Gonzales’s appointment is a troubling example of a ‘celebrity hire,’” the petition said. “It is unclear what Gonzales has done that makes him deserving of employment at Texas Tech. Does he have a noteworthy academic record? Does he have a record of publishing in law reviews? Was his service to his country particularly distinguished?”

The former Attorney General told The Toreador he disagrees with the petition.

“We live in a country where, in the academic world, people can express publicly their approval and disapproval of various issues,” he said. “What I’m focused on, is demonstrating that I’m serious about this teaching responsibility. I’m also serious about promoting diversity within Texas Tech. I hope that people will treat me fair and give me an opportunity to demonstrate that.”