On December 12, 2007, I received a letter by facsimile from Dr. Irving F. Miller, the text of which follows:
[Letterhead text: The University of Akron,Office of the Dean, College of Engineering, Akron, OH 44325-3901,
(330) 972-7186 Office, (330) 972-5162 Fax]
December 12, 2007
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing at the request of Mr. Brian Harris to describe the circumstances under which he returned to UIC
in 1993 as a doctoral student in Bioengineering. At the time, I was Director of the Bioengineering Program,
and it was my decision to readmit him.
When I met Brian in 1993, he was recovering from mental illness, and he was ready to resume his studies.
Since the work he had done prior to his illness was no longer available, he had to undertake an new
dissertation topic. He presented me with an idea for a dissertation that I found to be original and intriguing. I
believed then, and I believe now, that it is worth pursuing. However, I warned Brian at the time that he would
need to convince skeptical people of its validity. Whether or not the topic was appropriate for Bioengineering
was not an issue, because the idea of modeling mental illness clearly fits, as Brian's doctoral committee
agreed.
My concern about Brian's dissertation topic stemmed from the fact that it is such an original idea. Most
dissertation topics are simple extensions of settled work, and would not arouse the concerns of the people
who must judge the dissertation. In this case, success could be just as damaging as failure, because such
success could undermine many established views.
I believed in 1993, and I believe now, that Brian should be allowed to complete his dissertation work.
Although it has taken considerable time, four years is not too long for a doctoral dissertation, particularly
considering the fact that Brian has handicaps that need some accommodation.
Sincerely yours,
(Signed by Irving F. Miller)
Irving F. Miller
Professor and Dean