Carnegie Mellon University professor Dr. Uju Anya has been placed on voluntary professional leave as the university investigates what it described as “hostile and threatening” social media posts. Anya, a Nigerian-born scholar who has taught at the Pittsburgh university since 2021, has faced renewed scrutiny over a history of controversial posts targeting political and public figures.
The controversy intensified after a post in which Anya celebrated the 2021 death of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh resurfaced online. In the post, Anya wrote that Limbaugh had “finally did something positive in life by dropping dead.” In response to a critic who challenged her remarks, she wrote, “Die first, white man, then ask yourself why I’m dancing.”
The exchange drew the attention of Elon Musk, who shared a screenshot of Anya’s post, prompting users to locate and archive additional posts from her social media history. Anya initially responded defiantly to criticism, saying Carnegie Mellon was fully aware of her online activity and had recruited her from another university with a substantial compensation package.
She also claimed that university administrators were dismissing complaints about her social media activity. However, shortly afterward, Carnegie Mellon announced that Anya was on voluntary professional leave and would not be teaching courses on campus during the academic year.
“We are deeply concerned by recent hostile and threatening social media posts by Dr. Anya and are reviewing the matter closely,” the university said. Carnegie Mellon added that the posts “incorrectly imply our university’s endorsement” and were inconsistent with the institution’s community standards and its commitment to maintaining a safe, respectful and welcoming campus.
Additional posts subsequently attracted attention. In August 2022, shortly before Queen Elizabeth II died, Anya wrote that she hoped the monarch would experience severe suffering. She also made derogatory comments about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, including a post marking what she described as the anniversary of his assassination.
After receiving criticism and what she described as threats and harassment, Anya said she had been doxxed and temporarily reactivated her account to protect her family. She also made clear that she did not intend to retract or apologize for her previous statements, saying she stood by comments she had made in response to people who had criticized her.
In a Medium post published last year, Anya also addressed previous disputes with Carnegie Mellon administrators. She said university officials had told her that her public conduct embarrassed the university and damaged its reputation. Anya disputed that characterization and argued that the university itself faced reputational questions because of its associations with people and institutions she accused of serious wrongdoing.
Carnegie Mellon has not indicated the outcome of its review or specified which social media posts prompted Anya’s current leave. The university’s investigation remains ongoing.
