In reference to my previous comments on the plagiarism scandal in the school of engineering at Ohio Universtity, yesterday the university announced a set of “comprehensive strategies to address academic honesty.†Among the steps being taken is to examine 55 theses for signs of plagiarism. From these, they have found 35 incidents that will require a hearing. Punishments handed out could include the revocation of the former student’s degree. Furthermore, the two professors whom have been implicated have been relieved of their advising duties.
This is actually quite amazing. Now, from what I’ve read of the case, Ohio University was more or less forced into these actions. But it is still surprising to see a university take these kinds of steps. Now, I still suspect that this was largely the result of not understanding american academic cultural norms and was not intended as cheating. However, it is good to see some accountability, particularly for faculty members who should have known better.