On Wednesday The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article that claims President Gregory Vincent directly copied large parts of his 2004 dissertation. The Chronicle was alerted to this alleged plagiarism by an anonymous source. Vincent is a Hobart alum who graduated in 1983 and was named the new President of Hobart and William Smith last spring. Vincent also received a degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote his dissertation.
Few details of the alleged plagiarism have been released, but The Chronicle of Higher Education did include portions of his dissertation that use wording from various books. Hobart and William Smith Colleges have released very little information concerning the issue. The Chair of the Board of Trustees, Thomas S. Bozzuto, did release a statement saying that the Colleges are investigating the claims. An email was also sent out to the students on Thursday, saying that the President is currently under investigation, but almost no details were given. The email did not even describe what Vincent is being investigated for. In the email, however, a comment from Vincent is included, saying that the allegations are “without merit.”
Although results have yet to be released about the investigation into Vincent, the campus waits with bated breath to know if this serious allegation will lead to the President’s resignation. Although I do not know all the facts regarding this issue, some steps need to be taken to insure that the academic integrity of our school remains. The President’s job is to uphold our community standards and if he cannot, how then can we expect the students to uphold them as well? If Vincent has, in fact, plagiarized parts of his dissertation, he must face serious consequences to insure that the academic integrity of Hobart and William Smith remains.