British university chief says Jason Arday plagiarism case is an ‘aberration’

The prestigious British university’s former professor of sociology of education, Jason Arday, resigned a week ago, facing snowballing allegations of plagiarizing parts of his PhD thesis and overstating personal achievements.. (Joe Giddens/LOCOG/PA via AP)

The University of Cambridge’s top administrator on Wednesday called a scandal over a black professor who has resigned amid accusations of plagiarism “an aberration” and vowed a thorough investigation.

The prestigious British university’s former professor of sociology of education, Jason Arday, resigned a week ago, facing snowballing allegations of plagiarizing parts of his PhD thesis and overstating personal achievements.

Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice, in the university’s most extensive comment so far, insisted Arday’s alleged wrongdoing was “an aberration” that should not be used “to cast aspersions” on other academics of colour.

She made the comment in a letter posted online Wednesday that was sent to university staff a day earlier, outlining her response to the “damaging and difficult” scandal.

Arday, who became the university’s youngest black professor at the age of 37, has denied any wrongdoing, saying in a resignation letter he did not accept “the narratives that have surrounded me”.

Prentice, an American psychologist, is the principal administrative officer of the university.

British newspapers have reported she is facing criticism from academics and pressure to quit over her handling of the scandal.

It has been seized upon by right-wing newspapers and commentators, who have labelled Arday as a “poster boy” for diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies.

The vice-chancellor responded to a group of university academics who wrote to her last week slamming Arday’s appointment and asking her to appoint an independent body to probe what happened.

She promised a “thorough and transparent” investigation into the “circumstances” of Arday’s appointment in 2022 and his time in post that would include academics from “beyond Cambridge”.

The university has already said the case would result in a review of the hiring process for senior roles.

Prentice said this is currently led by individual academic departments, in Arday’s case by the Faculty of Education.

“The desire for quick answers and rapid responses is understandable, but we need to allow these reviews to complete their work effectively so we can learn from any mistakes,” she added.