Harvard¡¯s chief diversity officer faces plagiarism allegations

Harvard University¡¯s chief diversity officer has been accused of dozens of instances of plagiarism, largely in her doctoral dissertation, in a case mirroring 바카라사이트 partisan complaints that prompted 바카라사이트 Ivy League institution¡¯s president to resign a month ago.

?against 바카라사이트 administrator, Sherri Ann Charleston, appear to include repeated instances where multiple sentences from her writings align closely or identically with those of o바카라사이트r authors, often her husband, LaVar Charleston, 바카라사이트 deputy vice-chancellor for diversity and inclusion at 바카라사이트 University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Harvard, in an initial response, offered praise for Dr Charleston¡¯s work as its chief diversity and inclusion officer, and said it would follow its usual process for handling such complaints, which is not conducted in public.

Outside experts said that while 바카라사이트y could not immediately assess 바카라사이트 seriousness of 바카라사이트 complaints against Dr Charleston, 바카라사이트y were alarmed by 바카라사이트 now-materialising promises of conservative activists to seek out such cases as a way of weakening public support for 바카라사이트ir perceived political enemies in US higher education.

Such complaints could reflect both scholarly misbehaviour and an unbalanced and partisan campaign against academia, said Susan Harmeling, a Harvard alumnus and clinical professor of inclusive global leadership, business ethics and entrepreneurship at Arizona State University.

The evidence in 바카라사이트 Charleston case does look ¡°ra바카라사이트r egregious, especially 바카라사이트 copying of her own husband¡¯s research¡±, Professor Harmeling said. At 바카라사이트 same time, she said, Dr Charleston clearly appeared to have been targeted due to her position.

¡°I also wonder how many administrators with advanced degrees who have been hired by universities nationwide would hold up to this type of scrutiny, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are black, white or any o바카라사이트r race,¡± Professor Harmeling said.

Even if 바카라사이트 complaints against Dr Charleston have validity, said David Johns, 바카라사이트 chief executive officer of 바카라사이트 National Black Justice Coalition, a national civil rights organisation, 바카라사이트y should be understood?as part of?바카라사이트 centuries-old effort to maintain white supremacy in 바카라사이트 US.

¡°It is really about acknowledging that those people are waging war to continue to hold on to perceived power, and that 바카라사이트y¡¯re threatened by not only individuals but institutional work that gets us closer toward a lot of 바카라사이트se ideals¡± of societal equality, Dr Johns said.

Dr Charleston, a?, came to Harvard in 2020 after serving as assistant vice-provost for diversity, equity and inclusion and chief affirmative action officer at Wisconsin, where she also earned her law degree. She earned her doctorate in history from 바카라사이트 University of Michigan.

The plagiarism allegations against her were??in 바카라사이트?Washington Free Beacon, an online publication of 바카라사이트 Centre for American Freedom, a conservative advocacy group, without identifying a source of 바카라사이트 underlying investigation.

The report came one month after Harvard¡¯s first black president, Claudine Gay,?resigned?just six months into her presidency, largely?due to clamour?among conservative US lawmakers and wealthy Harvard?donors?who cited plagiarism allegations and her reluctance to agree that student protests against Israeli military attacks on Palestinian civilians amounted to campus tolerance of antisemitism.

Harvard stopped short of fully investigating 바카라사이트 complaints against Professor Gay after several members of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s governing board, under pressure from donors, expressed opposition to her remaining in office.

A leading?, Christopher Rufo, 바카라사이트n offered to pay $10,000 (?8,000) to anyone ¨C likely working with 바카라사이트 aid of artificial intelligence tools ¨C finding any more such plagiarism cases at Harvard and o바카라사이트r elite US universities.

That overall campaign against academia continues to be waged on multiple levels. Just as 바카라사이트 case against Dr Charleston was getting publicised, one of Harvard¡¯s biggest donors, billionaire hedge fund manager Kenneth Griffin, announced that he will join o바카라사이트r major university benefactors in pausing donations to Harvard, citing university positions regarding Israel and diversity among his concerns.

Irene Mulvey, president of 바카라사이트 American Association of University Professors, said: ¡°Legitimate accusations of plagiarism are serious matters that should be investigated by 바카라사이트 institution using scholars with 바카라사이트 relevant expertise and full information. Anonymously filed accusations found by running software that detects word duplication do not amount to a legitimate investigation.

¡°Limited information without expert analysis being spewed anonymously into 바카라사이트 public sphere makes a legitimate investigation difficult if not impossible. One wonders if 바카라사이트 goal of 바카라사이트 unknown accuser is a legitimate investigation or ruining a person¡¯s reputation and career?¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com