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FAU Confirms Three Professors on Leave Over Posts About Charlie Kirk

The university says it is reviewing social-media conduct under tenured-faculty procedures.

University officials told CBS12 News they “do not comment on personnel matters,” but confirmed that finance professor Dr. Rebel Cole, art history professor Dr. Karen Leader, and English professor Dr. Kate Polak are on leave pending investigations. (WPEC/FAU)
Cole has since launched a fundraiser titled “Stand with Truth – Defend Free Speech” on GiveSendGo, seeking $500,000 to cover legal fees. On the page, he wrote that FAU administrators accused him of threatening students, an allegation he disputes. (Credit GiveSendGo)
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Cole announced his suspension Tuesday night on his personal X account, writing that FAU had “violated [his] First Amendment rights” and left his reputation “grievously damaged.” He said he was suspended and banned from campus for responding to an anonymous post celebrating Kirk’s death. (Credit X)

Overview

  • FAU placed finance professor Rebel Cole, art history professor Karen Leader, and English professor Kate Polak on paid administrative leave while it investigates their social-media activity tied to Charlie Kirk’s killing.
  • President Adam Hasner previously announced a leave for a tenured faculty member over repeated online comments regarding the assassination, and the school reiterated it would not discuss personnel matters.
  • Leader, speaking publicly for the first time, said she was doxxed and received death threats, and she described her posts as largely reposts criticizing Kirk’s record rather than comments on his death.
  • Cole wrote on X that the university violated his First Amendment rights, said he was banned from campus, and launched a GiveSendGo fundraiser after an exchange in which he told an anonymous user, “We are going to hunt you down and identify you.”
  • Polak told FAU’s student newspaper she was placed on paid leave after interactions on Threads, and lawmakers including Sens. James Lankford and Chris Coons have weighed in as the investigations continue with no disciplinary outcomes announced.