Category Archives: Ethics

Former Governor’s Wife Is Fired From Controversial Job at N.C. State

Posted on June 8, 2009 by | Comments Off on Former Governor’s Wife Is Fired From Controversial Job at N.C. State

News & Observer: Records: Mike Easley involved in hiring

New documents show that the Mary Easley job at N.C. State University was orchestrated at the highest levels of state government, and included the direct involvement of then-Gov. Mike Easley.

E-mail messages show the creation of the job for Mary Easley was orchestrated in April and May of 2005 by the governor and that her job formation also included his wife, Mary; the chancellor at N.C. State, James Oblinger; a key trustee, McQueen Campbell; a senior adviser to Easley who now heads the Golden Leaf Foundation, Dan Gerlach; and an NCSU lobbyist at the time, Andy Willis.

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Another scandal at Alabama community colleges

Posted on June 5, 2009 by | Comments Off on Another scandal at Alabama community colleges

Birmingham News: SEC says Alabama two-year college officials used public money for plays, dinners, sporting events on New York trips

Alabama two-year college officials used public money to pay for relatives and friends to attend Broadway shows and sporting events and to dine at upscale restaurants in New York City during bond rating trips from 2003 to 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday.

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Not So Warm Welcome for New York Private College Chief

Posted on May 6, 2009 by | Comments Off on Not So Warm Welcome for New York Private College Chief

Inside Higher Ed: Not So Warm Welcome for New York Private College Chief

Last month, the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in New York named Laura L. Anglin — New York State’s budget director — as its next president. Anglin takes office in July at CICU, which has historically been an influential player in Albany with work on behalf of the state’s private colleges. On Monday, the Student Assembly of the State University of New York offered a welcome of sorts to Anglin — in the form of an ethics complaint filed with the state public integrity division. The SUNY student group argues that holding the job of budget director while interviewing for the CICU job was a conflict of interest because the state has programs that assist private colleges and their students. Anglin, in a statement, responded: “The complaint filed by the Student Assembly of the State University of New York has no basis in fact. As a public servant for many years, I am clearly aware of my responsibilities under the state ethics laws. Throughout the budget process, I took the utmost precautions to ensure that I had met the requirements of the public officers law, both in spirit and in letter.”

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Ala. college president accused of plagiarism

Posted on April 23, 2009 by | Comments Off on Ala. college president accused of plagiarism

AP: Ala. college president accused of plagiarism

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The president of Jacksonville State University, whose use of a ghostwriter for newspaper columns caused a stir two years ago, now has been accused of plagiarizing his doctoral dissertation at the University of Alabama.

The claim surfaced in a lawsuit filed against William Meehan which alleges that he submitted a dissertation that was copied in part from another professor’s work around the time Meehan became JSU president in 1999.

An Associated Press review found similarities between the two papers, and an expert hired by the JSU professor suing Meehan over another issue concluded his dissertation was plagiarism.

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Hiring of Thomas Angers Faculty at Florida International

Posted on April 17, 2009 by | Comments Off on Hiring of Thomas Angers Faculty at Florida International

The New York Times: Hiring of Thomas Angers Faculty at Florida International

The former Knicks coach Isiah Thomas will be greeted in his new job at Florida International University with a reminder of his past.

Laurie Shrage, the director of women’s studies and a philosophy professor at the university, said she and some of her colleagues planned to hand-deliver to Thomas a copy of the university’s sexual harassment policy.

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You’re Nobody ’til You’re Snubbed

Posted on April 9, 2009 by | Comments Off on You’re Nobody ’til You’re Snubbed

Inside Higher Ed: You’re Nobody ’til You’re Snubbed

What started as one professor’s spat with an esteemed medical journal has transformed into something of a branding opportunity for a fledgling medical school in Harrogate, Tenn.

The Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine opened its doors less than two years ago, but in recent weeks it has been getting press in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The New York Times. The articles concern a Lincoln Memorial professor who exposed conflicts of interest in an article published by the The Journal of the American Medical Association and subsequently provoked the wrath of JAMA’s editors for spreading his story to the media and another journal. Charges that the editors sought to intimidate Lincoln Memorial officials have prompted an investigation by the American Medical Association’s oversight committee, and the university has

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Ethics event spawns a tussle at Tufts

Posted on March 26, 2009 by | Comments Off on Ethics event spawns a tussle at Tufts

Boston Globe: Ethics event spawns a tussle at Tufts
Speaker is out; now organizer is, too

Tufts University has withdrawn an invitation for a top aide to US Senator Charles E. Grassley to give the keynote speech at a conference on conflicts of interest in medicine and research, leading one conference organizer to pull out and question the university’s commitment to academic freedom.

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‘JAMA’ Orders Whistle-Blowers to Blow Their Whistles in Private

Posted on March 23, 2009 by | Comments Off on ‘JAMA’ Orders Whistle-Blowers to Blow Their Whistles in Private

The Chronicle News Blog: ‘JAMA’ Orders Whistle-Blowers to Blow Their Whistles in Private

The longstanding ethical principle of medical students and physicians — “First do no harm” — appears to be taking on a new meaning at one of the world’s top medical journals.

The Journal of the American Medical Association, in an editorial published on Friday, has warned that anyone raising a conflict-of-interest complaint about one of its authors should do so in private to the editors, without telling any outsiders.

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Drug Maker Told Studies Would Aid It, Papers Say

Posted on March 20, 2009 by | Comments Off on Drug Maker Told Studies Would Aid It, Papers Say

The New York Times: Drug Maker Told Studies Would Aid It, Papers Say

An influential Harvard child psychiatrist told the drug giant Johnson & Johnson that planned studies of its medicines in children would yield results benefiting the company, according to court documents dating over several years that the psychiatrist wants sealed.
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The psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Biederman, outlined plans to test Johnson & Johnson’s drugs in presentations to company executives. One slide referred to a proposed trial in preschool children of risperidone, an antipsychotic drug made by the drug company. The trial, the slide stated, “will support the safety and effectiveness of risperidone in this age group.”

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Embattled Florida House Speaker Steps Down Over Inquiry Into College Job

Posted on February 2, 2009 by | Comments Off on Embattled Florida House Speaker Steps Down Over Inquiry Into College Job

Tampa Tribune: Embattled Florida House Speaker Steps Down

Controversy-plagued House Speaker Ray Sansom, R-Destin, stepped down as state House speaker today, replaced by Speaker Pro Tem Larry Cretul, R-Ocala.

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2 Universities’ Plagiarism Policies Look a Lot Alike

Posted on January 28, 2009 by | Comments Off on 2 Universities’ Plagiarism Policies Look a Lot Alike

The Chronicle: 2 Universities’ Plagiarism Policies Look a Lot Alike

In 2007, after several high-profile plagiarism scandals, Southern Illinois University released a 17-page report on how to deal with the issue. The report includes a lengthy definition of plagiarism, explaining exactly what does and does not merit the dreaded “p” word.

One problem: That definition appears to have been plagiarized.

The 139-word definition used in the report is nearly identical to the definition adopted by Indiana University in 2005. Here, for example, are passages from each definition, explaining what constitutes plagiarism:

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Former MIT Scientist Who Falsified Data Is Suspended From Receiving Federal Grants

Posted on January 22, 2009 by | Comments Off on Former MIT Scientist Who Falsified Data Is Suspended From Receiving Federal Grants

The Chronicle News Blog: Former MIT Scientist Who Falsified Data Is Suspended From Receiving Federal Grants

Washington — The Department of Health and Human Services will bar a former university scientist from receiving federal research money for five years, after concluding that he falsified data in several government-backed projects.

The researcher, Luk Van Parijs, was fired in 2005 as an associate professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, after he admitted he had fabricated and falsified data in a paper, several manuscripts, and grant applications. The federal agency’s announcement is scheduled to be made public tomorrow, in the Federal Register.

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Plagiarist Punished at Florida

Posted on January 15, 2009 by | Comments Off on Plagiarist Punished at Florida

Inside Higher Ed: Plagiarist Punished at Florida

A University of Florida professor who confessed this spring to committing plagiarism was suspended for five years without pay, and opted to retire shortly after the punishment was handed down, university officials confirmed Wednesday.

The professor, James Twitchell, was a longtime faculty member who was highly regarded for his writings about consumerism and popular culture. He was frequently quoted by national media organizations, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. But when confronted with a significant body of evidence, collected by The Gainesville Sun, Twitchell admitted that he had “cheated by using pieces of descriptions written by others.”

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Georgia: Auto dealer on Board of Regents didn’t report $869,000 in sales to state

Posted on January 7, 2009 by | Comments Off on Georgia: Auto dealer on Board of Regents didn’t report $869,000 in sales to state

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Auto dealer on Board of Regents didn’t report $869,000 in sales to state

State universities and colleges in 2007 paid at least $869,000 to companies owned by Ford dealer Allan Vigil, who is one of 18 University System regents overseeing Georgia’s universities and colleges.

But when he filed his most recent financial disclosure statement with the state, Vigil listed 2007 state payments to his businesses as “$0.00.”

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Florida House speaker seeks to move on from issue of funding at college where he’s VP.

Posted on January 7, 2009 by | Comments Off on Florida House speaker seeks to move on from issue of funding at college where he’s VP.

The Ledger: Sansom Quits State School Job

Florida House speaker seeks to move on from issue of funding at college where he’s VP.

TALLAHASSEE | Seeking a sudden end to a growing controversy, House Speaker Ray Sansom on Monday quit his $110,000 vice president’s position with a state-run school.

As one of the state’s most powerful political leaders, Sansom had helped Northwest Florida State College receive $25.5 million for building this fiscal year – well over the $1 million requested by the school and more than any other community college in the state.

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Conflicts of Interest in Continuing Medical Education

Posted on December 30, 2008 by | Comments Off on Conflicts of Interest in Continuing Medical Education

Inside Higher Ed: Conflicts of Interest in Continuing Medical Education

In professions as wide-ranging as law, accounting and speech therapy, licensed practitioners are expected to keep up with new developments and periodically refresh their training. Usually, the costs of such activities lie with the lawyers, accountants and therapists themselves.

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Vigilante Justice on Plagiarism

Posted on November 17, 2008 by | Comments Off on Vigilante Justice on Plagiarism

Inside Higher Ed: Vigilante Justice on Plagiarism

At Texas A&M International, an instructor told students he would fail and publicly humiliate them if they engaged in academic dishonesty. They did and he did — so the university fired him.

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Posted in Ethics, Faculty, Students, Working conditions

Emory Forms Ethics Panel in Wake of Payment Scandal Involving Scientist

Posted on November 4, 2008 by | Comments Off on Emory Forms Ethics Panel in Wake of Payment Scandal Involving Scientist

The Chronicle News Blog: Emory Forms Ethics Panel in Wake of Payment Scandal Involving Scientist

Emory University announced on Monday that it had created a committee to evaluate how it handles potential conflicts of interest among its researchers.

The move followed recent revelations that Charles B. Nemeroff, an eminent psychiatrist at the university, accepted $2.5-million in payments from pharmaceutical companies from 2000 to 2007 but disclosed only about half that amount to the university, a violation of university and federal policies that has drawn the attention of Senate investigators.

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UK: Half of Cambridge students admit cheating

Posted on November 3, 2008 by | Comments Off on UK: Half of Cambridge students admit cheating

Daily Telegraph: Half of Cambridge students admit cheating

Half of students at Cambridge University have admitted cheating, according to new figures.

A survey shows 49 per cent of undergraduates have plagiarised work whilst studying at the university.

Law students were the worst offenders with 62 per cent of them breaking the university plagiarism rules, according to student newspaper Varsity.

The university is now planning to introduce special plagiarism detection software to tackle the problem.

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Posted in Ethics, Students

Ketucky: U. of Louisville Forms Panel to Investigate Degree Controversy

Posted on September 10, 2008 by | Comments Off on Ketucky: U. of Louisville Forms Panel to Investigate Degree Controversy

The Chronicle News Blog: U. of Louisville Forms Panel to Investigate Degree Controversy

The University of Louisville’s president, James R. Ramsey, announced today the formation of a committee to investigate allegations that the university had improperly awarded a Ph.D. to a prominent former student.

The degree recipient, John E. Deasy, had previously been involved in directing a $375,000 grant to a university research center that was run by a former dean who now is the focus of a federal criminal investigation.

“I have asked the committee to review this incident quickly, but thoroughly, and to report to me any improper or questionable behavior in the granting of this degree,” Mr. Ramsey said in a written statement. “If someone received a degree he did not earn, we would have no choice but to recommend rescinding that degree.”

The committee members come from both inside and outside the university and include a retired Kentucky Supreme Court justice. Fact-finding is already under way, officials said. —Paul Fain

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Posted in Academics, Corruption, Ethics, Legal issues