Accusations of professorial plagiarism have been met with mixed responses from the administrations of different universities over the past week. Professor Maddona G. Constantine of Columbia University's Teachers College will not be terminated from her position despite numerous charges of plagiarism, the university announced Wednesday. Constantine was accused of lifting more than 20 passages from the doctoral theses of two former students and using them in her work over the past five years, according to a memo released by the university. Constantine has been penalized for her alleged actions but will maintain her tenure and position at the Teacher's College, Marcia Horowitz, a spokesperson for Columbia, told The New York Times. Constantine also made national news last fall when she found a noose left on her office door, an action she claimed was proof that she was being "specifically and systematically targeted," The New York Times reported. In contrast to Columbia's response to academic plagiarism charges, Ohio University president Roderick J. McDavis revoked the title of "distinguished professor" from engineering professor Jay S. Gunasekera due to similar accusations. Gunasekera has been accused of plagiarizing student work, while at the same time carelessly overlooking plagiarism on the part of his students.
The future site of the George W. Bush presidential library will be located at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, the university announced Friday. Bush said he looks forward to an academic exploration of his two terms in office, including "the important and challenging issues our Nation has faced during my presidency -- from economic and homeland security to fighting terrorism and promoting freedom and democracy," he wrote in a letter to the university on Saturday. The construction of the library will likely cost more than $200 million, The Washington Post reported. Bush's foundation has already appointed an organizing committee to oversee the fundraising process.
