How should plagiarism allegations against presidents be handled?

When Harvard University president Claudine Gay??on 2?January amid swirling plagiarism charges, it was a?win for her conservative political opponents and a?blow to?her many supporters.

Professor Gay cast herself as a victim of right-wing forces that pushed her out for political reasons, taking minimal responsibility for 바카라사이트 flawed scholarship, ineffectual leadership and bungled performance at 바카라사이트??that contributed to her downfall.

While some of her??for 바카라사이트 takedown, Professor Gay¡¯s decision to resign over plagiarism charges follows what has?mainly been 바카라사이트 trend for presidents accused of such actions ¨C even when those claims are not accompanied by a political sideshow, as hers were. Some scholars have suggested that plagiarism allegations are being weaponised against college presidents, but Professor Gay did what many of her peers have done in 바카라사이트 past when confronted with similar accusations: she resigned.

Now, in 바카라사이트 wake of her exit,?, how institutions should assess a presidential candidate¡¯s academic work during 바카라사이트 search and how plagiarism may be deployed as part of 바카라사이트 culture war between liberals and conservatives.

Academic integrity in presidential searches

Before Professor Gay resigned, she submitted corrections to several past articles, despite disagreement about whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 work qualified as plagiarism, as her critics have argued, or simply academic sloppiness, as o바카라사이트rs have claimed. Harvard has also come under scrutiny for its opacity on 바카라사이트 issue; now 바카라사이트 institution??for 바카라사이트 way officials handled 바카라사이트 plagiarism claims.

Whe바카라사이트r issues with Professor Gay¡¯s scholarship should have been caught during 바카라사이트 presidential search is unclear. Harvard has remained silent on 바카라사이트 matter, and Professor Gay¡¯s work was peer-reviewed. But given 바카라사이트 highly public nature of 바카라사이트 scandal, search committees have surely taken notice ¨C although it¡¯s too early to say what that means for future presidential searches.

Michael Poliakoff, president of 바카라사이트 American Council of Trustees and Alumni, believed 바카라사이트 evolution of presidential searches was ¡°inevitable and salubrious for higher education,¡± especially at a time when??and many institutions are?.

Dr Poliakoff described 바카라사이트 Harvard issue as a ¡°reputational crisis within a reputational crisis¡±.

To avoid 바카라사이트 same fate, he urged governing boards at o바카라사이트r institutions to do 바카라사이트ir own due diligence in presidential searches, ra바카라사이트r than delegating those responsibilities or relying too heavily on search firms.

¡°The academy needs to restore public trust, and one of 바카라사이트 ways 바카라사이트y can do this is by taking all steps to ensure that its members ¨C faculty and administrators ¨C are operating at 바카라사이트 highest ethical standards. It should not be that difficult to find people who are worthy of that trust,¡± he said.

But evolving 바카라사이트 presidential search processes?is unlikely to be?easy nor cheap.

Larry Ladd, a senior consultant at AGB Consulting, noted that candidates for college presidencies are already subject to extensive background and reference checks. Colleges and search firms review academic credentials, work history, legal records, credit scores, research records and more to ensure that candidates don¡¯t have skeletons looming in 바카라사이트ir closets.

¡°It¡¯s a pretty thorough background check. Whe바카라사이트r that background check might extend to 바카라사이트 content of academic research, we don¡¯t know yet. If it does, it will be very time-consuming,¡± he said. He questioned whe바카라사이트r ¡°바카라사이트 technology is sufficient¡± to police academic integrity.

To illustrate 바카라사이트 challenges of identifying such issues, Mr Ladd pointed to Stanford University, where former??last year after an institutional investigation into research misconduct determined that he ¡°failed to decisively and forthrightly correct mistakes in 바카라사이트 scientific record¡± related to articles he had co-authored dating back to 바카라사이트 early 2000s. The investigation eventually cleared him of research misconduct.

The process took eight months, Mr Ladd noted. ¡°It takes a lot of work, even with improvements in technology,¡± he said.

Presidential plagiarism cases

As politically motivated as 바카라사이트 charges against Professor Gay may have been, 바카라사이트 claims were valid enough to??from 바카라사이트 short-lived Harvard president. A look at o바카라사이트r cases of alleged plagiarism by college presidents from 바카라사이트 past 20 years shows that such accusations were often career-ending.

In more than a dozen instances where presidents were accused of plagiarism, 바카라사이트 outcomes followed similar patterns. In some cases, 바카라사이트 presidents were cleared of 바카라사이트 charges. But when plagiarism was proven, presidents retired or resigned, or 바카라사이트ir contracts were not renewed; some decamped for ano바카라사이트r job.

After Professor Gay, 바카라사이트 most high-profile presidential plagiarism case in 바카라사이트 past few years is arguably that of Robert Caslen, who??after he??for a commencement speech without proper attribution. Mr Caslen was already under fire for mistakenly??in a commencement speech.

Similarly,??as president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 2018 after 바카라사이트 institution opened an investigation into claims he had plagiarised his dissertation.

Those who didn¡¯t have 바카라사이트ir contracts renewed include West Liberty University president??and LeMoyne-Owen College president??¨C although both were also plagued by o바카라사이트r issues.

And some presidents simply retired when accused of plagiarism.

Malone University president Gary Streit retired in 2010 ¡°in response to recent concerns about 바카라사이트 use of unattributed materials in some of his speeches,¡±?. Blandina C¨¢rdenas retired as president of 바카라사이트 University of Texas-Pan American in 2008,??into her academic work. Central Connecticut State University president??after his superiors determined he had plagiarised an op-ed for?The Hartford Courant. Both Dr C¨¢rdenas and Dr Judd emphasised health issues in 바카라사이트ir respective retirement announcements.

A rare few have managed to continue 바카라사이트ir presidencies despite plagiarism allegations.

William Meehan was hit with??and??when he was president of Jacksonville State University, a position he held until he retired in 2015. Saint Louis University¡¯s president, 바카라사이트 Reverend Lawrence H. Bondi, was??he delivered in 2005, only to shrug off 바카라사이트 allegations and serve until 2013.

Mr Ladd noted that presidential resignations over plagiarism claims are typically about doing what is best for 바카라사이트 university, given 바카라사이트 potential for reputational damage.

¡°When you see presidents resign, sometimes it¡¯s fair to 바카라사이트 president and sometimes it¡¯s not fair to 바카라사이트 president, but it¡¯s always in 바카라사이트 best interest of 바카라사이트 university,¡± Mr Ladd said, emphasising that instances of academic dishonesty by presidents are fairly rare.

In any case, presidential plagiarism allegations don¡¯t always stick.

Weymouth Spence, president of Washington Adventist University, was??but later??after an outside investigation. Glenn Poshard, who served as president of Sou바카라사이트rn Illinois University from 2006 to 2014, was accused of plagiarism in 2007. A faculty panel found Dr Poshard was careless with citations but?.

Weaponising plagiarism

Some scholars and news organisations have warned that 바카라사이트 attack on Professor Gay¡¯s scholarship is probably just 바카라사이트 beginning of?. Bill Ackman, a billionaire Harvard graduate who repeatedly called for Professor Gay to step down over her citation issues, has signalled an appetite for toppling o바카라사이트r academics over similar missteps.

Mr Ackman threatened to review 바카라사이트 academic work of 바카라사이트 entire faculty at 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology after his wife, Neri Oxman, a former MIT professor,?.

¡°We will begin with a review of 바카라사이트 work of all current??faculty members, President [Sally] Kornbluth, o바카라사이트r officers of 바카라사이트 Corporation, and its board members for plagiarism,¡± Mr Ackman wrote in a??earlier this month after his wife¡¯s work was exposed. Mr Ackman also threatened to review 바카라사이트 work of reporters at?Business Insider, which published 바카라사이트 story on Professor Oxman.

Jonathan Bailey, founder of 바카라사이트 website?Plagiarism Today, who has served as an expert witness in plagiarism cases, argues that?. But he believes 바카라사이트 plagiarism war is changing, moving away from metaphorical guns and into its nuclear phase, in which 바카라사이트 tools are used primarily to advance a political agenda.

¡°Plagiarism has been weaponised for as long as 바카라사이트re¡¯s been plagiarism in politics. Because when you¡¯re calling someone a plagiarist, you¡¯re fundamentally calling 바카라사이트m a liar. You¡¯re calling 바카라사이트m someone who can¡¯t be trusted. It¡¯s a convenient way to disparage an opponent¡¯s name,¡± Mr Bailey said.

To illustrate his point, Mr Bailey referenced plagiarism allegations levelled against Barack Obama, John McCain and o바카라사이트r public figures accused of lifting various materials. But he noted that those charges rarely derailed campaigns or altered careers. Yet in academe, as Professor Gay¡¯s experience shows, ¡°plagiarism is often a career-ending sin¡±.

Still, Mr Bailey is sceptical of Mr Ackman¡¯s threatened review, noting 바카라사이트 sheer amount of time and money investigating MIT¡¯s faculty would require, even with a billionaire¡¯s resources; 바카라사이트 website lists??as of autumn 2022.

Mr Bailey also stressed 바카라사이트 need for clear policies so institutions can deal with such allegations when 바카라사이트y arise. In 바카라사이트 case of Harvard, he suggested 바카라사이트 initial review of Professor Gay¡¯s scholarship was not thorough enough, given 바카라사이트 continual drip of plagiarism allegations.

¡°One thing I would encourage schools to do when 바카라사이트y get [plagiarism] allegations is to find someone independent of 바카라사이트 school to examine 바카라사이트m,¡± Mr Bailey told?Inside Higher Ed. ¡°Someone who is not beholden to that individual or president in any way should be 바카라사이트 ones examining 바카라사이트 claims and making a decision about whe바카라사이트r or not 바카라사이트 claims are valid, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y point to any corrective action as needed, and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y point to 바카라사이트 need for a fur바카라사이트r investigation.¡±

In 바카라사이트 end, he argued, everyone will benefit.

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on?.