The University of Cambridge announced this Friday that it will launch an independent investigation following the death of British academic Jason Arday, who left his position as a professor of Sociology of Education at the renowned institution after a hate campaign on social media over an alleged plagiarism case.
The vice-chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, stated in a video that "The University Council has made the necessary decision to initiate an independent review that will examine the decision-making and actions of the university, focusing on identifying deficiencies and areas that require improvement."
As she specified, the first phase of the analysis, expected to last three months, will focus on the "interventions and protections" that the university currently has to respond to situations similar to Arday's, a case that has shocked the academic community in the UK and the rest of Europe.
Prentice has revealed that "The review will raise difficult questions and make recommendations on what we could have done better. We have asked Nazer Afzal, former chief crown prosecutor for the northwest of England and current rector of the University of Manchester, to lead this work."
In a second stage, the institution's internal procedures and practices will be examined. As the vice-chancellor indicated, "A broader context of Professor Arday's stay at Cambridge will be examined, and issues such as hiring, mentoring, and support for high-level academic staff will be addressed, as well as how we respond to allegations of misconduct in research."
For this second phase, an external figure and a specialized panel will also be appointed, tasked with producing a final report "within six months." Prentice added that "Once the report from each phase of the review has been presented, we will publicly disclose a summary of the findings, recommendations, and the measures we will take."
The vice-chancellor emphasized that "while nothing can reverse the loss" of Arday, the process will serve to "better understand what happened" after he was found dead at his home in Battersea, in south London.
In his message, he also acknowledged that "I am aware that the death of Professor Arday has profoundly affected the black staff and students, as well as our neurodivergent community. Likewise, there has been an unacceptable increase in racist, abusive, and hate-filled attacks against our staff and students on online forums and social media. This is deplorable and I condemn all forms of such abuse."
ABOUT THE CASE OF JASON ARDAY
Arday, 41 years old, submitted his resignation as a professor of Sociology of Education at Cambridge following the plagiarism accusations against him. His arrival in the position, becoming in 2023 the youngest black professor in the history of the university at 37 years old, was then celebrated as a significant advancement.
Both the academic and his associates reported that he was the subject of an intense media harassment campaign after another professor, Nathan Cofnas, published on his blog that much of his doctoral thesis included copied fragments from other authors, based on a plagiarism detection program.
Cofnas, described as a "race realist" and of American nationality, disseminated an essay on his blog in which he argued that, in a purely meritocratic system, black people "would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment." In July 2024, Emmanuel College, part of Cambridge, decided to expel him considering that his texts violated its principles regarding diversity.
Arday attributed "racial motivations" to the campaign against him and stated that he had become the "target of criticism" for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in universities, after a review by Liverpool John Moores University, where he obtained his doctorate, confirmed the validity of the degree.
Cofnas also questioned aspects of Arday's personal background — diagnosed with autism in childhood and who carried the Olympic torch at the London 2012 Games — challenging data related to a charitable fundraising and his achievements in various marathons.