The University of Cambridge has aborted investigations seeking to vet its recruitment of Jason Arday, the Black professor who died by suicide last month amid allegations of plagiarism and an exaggerated biography.
The institution said the enquiry will instead focus on its support, or lack thereof, for Mr Arday when he was accused of plagiarising sections of his thesis, adding that it will no longer scrutinise his hiring process.
“The council has launched an independent review following the death of Professor Jason Arday. It will examine the university’s decision-making, policies and organisational processes, with a focus on identifying lessons and opportunities for improvement,” Cambridge said on Tuesday.
The institution clarified that “the reviews will not seek to investigate areas which are the subject of the inquest process.”
Findings of the review, according to Cambridge, will inform actions and, where necessary, policy changes.
The previous probe was meant to examine Mr Arday’s hiring into the prestigious institution and clarify controversies that undermined his qualifications.
Some Cambridge professors were incensed by the shift and wrote a letter to the school demanding accountability for abandoning the previous probe, according to the New York Times.
Mr Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor at 37 in 2022, resigned in August, saying he could no longer cope with the scrutiny. He died days later in his London home.
He said he could not speak until he turned 11, nor read until he turned 18.