Professor Jason Arday - plagiarism etc

Yesterday, publisher Simon & Schuster - which is set to publish Arday's memoir later this month - defended Arday in a statement to AFP news agency. "We are proud to publish Professor Jason Arday. We have worked closely with him... and can speak to the professionalism and integrity he has brought to every stage of the publication”.

So his book was written and planned to be published some time ago and his publishers are supportive.

Cambridge University: "While we are fully aware of the public commentary and concerns around this matter, it remains vital that any process is thorough and adheres to both university policies and employment law. "We also fully recognise that there is a person at the centre of this situation, and we continue to provide support to him.”

All that seems fair enough in all the circumstances.

People are saying “why was he singled out for scrutiny” but it occurs to me that we don’t actually know if he was “singled out” to begin with.
Did the journalist contact other academics to discuss their work? Were they happy to discuss their work with him and have it reported on, as normal. Academics generally hope that notice will be taken if their work.

Or was the unusually hostile response to a normal query the reason for the arousal if curiosity and further checks.

That’s journalist practice. The sense that something is not normal and might merit investigation.
Maybe a singling out. Perhaps more than one reason for it to happen. And as it turns out a good journalistic instinct for something being wrong.

eazybee

Jason Arday is the author of his own misfortune. He has brought academia into disrepute through his own lack of ability, resorting to plagiarism to complete his PhD and resorting to ever more extreme claims about his other achievements to boost his standing. His resignation letter, thought to be AI generated, blames others for his downfall, not himself.
Cambridge and Arday blame John Moores University for failing to monitor his PhD sufficiently when he was clearly not up to standard. Cambridge is wholly to blame for appointing someone with limited practical experience to such a prestigious post without stringent checks.
Obviously, never apologise, never explain. Seems to be the order of the day.

I am in total agreement with you. All this fuss around the person has enabled all the universities involved in granting degrees for substandard work and appointing him to posts with out due diligence to hide behind him.

They are the ones that should be under scrutiny. Even on this thread everyone wants to discuss the details of the ex-professor and all posts trying to widen the discussion to talk about the responsibilities of the universities are ignored. Very Daily Mail.

I think you’re confusing books. The false book claim was a book that he claimed to have published with Palgrave MacMillan and added to his CV.
They have confirmed no such book was ever published by them.

As for the autobiography the publishers must be clapping their hands. Of course they’ll keep him on board. It’ll be a sellout!

I totally agree that the scrutiny of the appointment process is the crucial thing.

Why was he singled out for scrutiny some say? Obviously because he was and is a complete fantasist whose credentials were under suspicion and being questioned. He got away with it for so long because of diversity initiatives where he was seen as the poster boy for black academics. Cambridge University used to be held in high regard. No longer after this debacle. I wonder how many more like him are employed there with no due diligence being adhered to. What about safeguarding of students. All of this needs further investigation and as somebody else said earlier it is not the last of the matter, just the beginning.

Lathyrus3

I totally agree that the scrutiny of the appointment process is the crucial thing.

Talked to my DS who is on such appointment boards. He agrees. It's the fault of the Uni.

Said: Cambridge have been very very good on encouraging diversity amongst the students. some stunning examples of your people admitted on less good A levels but turned out brilliantly.

BUT: they rushed to try and make their staff diverse. It takes time for people to filter through to graduate then post graduate then..the whole process...takes time.

It is actually very difficult to check everything, very complex, especially when as in this case there was apparently very good basis to appoint, but they didn't do their job. He is of the view - in his experience that in general however:

Just like it used to be for women going back... black people and other ethnic minorities often have to work harder and be "the best" to get where they have done if you go back to childhoods and count in prejudice which sadly still exists in schools and so on - (just as do some young people from other disadvantaged backgrounds), but they did reach out to them sooner historically.

and, especially in the Russell Group universities and Oxbridge especially -

There is still very much an old boys and sadly I mean old boys network going as to who gets in, ie someone's son or maybe daughter these days - are networked into the system by a back door.

LemonJam

fancythat

LemonJam

fancythat

His resignation is very far from the end of the matter.

What is your meaning and implication fancythat?

See Galaxy post before mine.

Plus there will be books.
Films.
More media coverage. etc

I dont think you really need me to explain.

I'm not clear which Galaxy post you are referring to. Thank you for your explanation.

Galaxy 10.34am
Sorry, I should have written her post before your question.

I blame the employers who never check on their credentials

Vintagewhine

I'm afraid this sort of behaviour is not uncommon. It's just rare for it to be reported in the media, especially as much as this has been.

I agree. I always made a point of personally checking references and can tell you that sheer lying fraud is rampant ( about qualifications, employment history, references).

Shock horror, this includes educated people and professional careers.

I would have thought an intensive interview in such a place as Cambridge would have been sufficient to tease out this candidate's inadequacies. I have said elsewhere that this man's swift passage through posts was an indication of his lack of ability, and that was before I learned that he had lied about placements at three other universities, work published (not) and an additional MA in psychodynamic Counselling from Birkbeck University. Cambridge was clearly in pursuit of a Diversity poster boy, and ignored the need to check his application, but the lies were Arday's own.
Judging by his resignation letterI have no doubt that he will sue the College for failure in support.
At that level of post, he should have been supporting others.

If you search 'fantasist' on Google, you can find an explanation of the difference between a fantasist and an out and out liar. I think we might be able to cut this man some slack. I'd say he can't help it. But the university certainly should've checked him out more thoroughly.

That's claiming he's admitted to lying, he hasn't... So I don't think I'd believe any of the article of they lie like that.

I'm afraid that being very bright - as in many at Cambridge - doesn't necessarily endow them with common sense. Yes they wanted a diverse candidate in terms of ethnic background. I think "poster boy" is somewhat demeaning to all concerned

But I also agree with you lizzypopbottle, that he was a fantasist. If you have ever had to engage long term with someone like that, they truly believe their own lies.

However since as others have said above, it is not uncommon at all in applications: and not as such related to diversity. that actually shocked me reading it.

It was far easier when we were young to check someone out:

a certificate?
Some phone calls?
Networking from a much smaller pool - many of whom knew each other?
Time to close question on the subjects themselves to really see how much the person actually knew?

.... than now when so many go to university and time pressures are so very strong on staff.

I'm a finance manager. I always check things like references and qualifications. Had one application from someone who impressed HR, claiming to be an FCCA. Checked and er no, he wasn't. HR said it wouldn't have occured to them to check - which made me wonder what we were actually paying them for.

.

This year's 'The Salt Path'!!!
.

He has resigned

Dreadwitch

That's claiming he's admitted to lying, he hasn't... So I don't think I'd believe any of the article of they lie like that.

He has dialled down on some of his claims however which is tantamount to saying he had been economical with the truth.
Eg the Seven Up tv programme which started before he was born (now clams he was talking about something else
The charity fundraising - now admits a group of 12(?) people involved
The book(s) - not actual published but apparently accepted for publishing,
(He claimed between 2019 and 2023 that he had published a book titled Considering Racialised Contexts in Education: Using reflective practice and peer-mentoring to support Black and Ethnic Minority educators
The title was listed on his staff profile on Durham University’s website as being published in 2019 by Routledge publishing company. He was still claiming the book was published when he took up the post as Cambridge’s youngest black professor in March 2023.
It was not until December 2023 that the Durham website was finally altered to say the book was “in press”, meaning it had passed peer review and been accepted for publication, but had not been published yet.)
The 600 miles in 6 days - now says it was 12 days

Some claims are still fraudulent and have yet to be «explained away»such as the visiting professorships - as the University of Glasgow, Ohio State University and Nelson Mandela University, in South Africa, have all denied claims by Prof Arday that he had been a visiting professor at their institutions.
It has also emerged that he falsely claimed to hold a master’s degree in psychodynamic counselling from Birkbeck University and to be an “honorary professor” in Durham University’s sociology department.
Prof Arday had repeatedly claimed that he was the author of a book called Being Young, Black and Male: Challenging the Dominant Discourse.
The book was listed in his biography description in published essays as well as in promotional material for speaking events, and was attributed to the Palgrave Macmillan publishing house. There is no evidence that any book was written or published.

I’m not surprised he wants to avoid further scrutiny.

Hope he has to pay back all the remuneration that he has taken under false pretense. .Fraud on a massive scale. Has the gall to play the mental health AND racism card.

Isn't it an offence to gain pecuniary advantage by misrepresentation.
ie getting a job by falsifying particulars on job application.

Kathleen Stock has read much of his output and her analysis is informative.

MawsRosie

Dreadwitch

That's claiming he's admitted to lying, he hasn't... So I don't think I'd believe any of the article of they lie like that.

He has dialled down on some of his claims however which is tantamount to saying he had been economical with the truth.
Eg the Seven Up tv programme which started before he was born (now clams he was talking about something else
The charity fundraising - now admits a group of 12(?) people involved
The book(s) - not actual published but apparently accepted for publishing,
(He claimed between 2019 and 2023 that he had published a book titled Considering Racialised Contexts in Education: Using reflective practice and peer-mentoring to support Black and Ethnic Minority educators
The title was listed on his staff profile on Durham University’s website as being published in 2019 by Routledge publishing company. He was still claiming the book was published when he took up the post as Cambridge’s youngest black professor in March 2023.
It was not until December 2023 that the Durham website was finally altered to say the book was “in press”, meaning it had passed peer review and been accepted for publication, but had not been published yet.)
The 600 miles in 6 days - now says it was 12 days

Some claims are still fraudulent and have yet to be «explained away»such as the visiting professorships - as the University of Glasgow, Ohio State University and Nelson Mandela University, in South Africa, have all denied claims by Prof Arday that he had been a visiting professor at their institutions.
It has also emerged that he falsely claimed to hold a master’s degree in psychodynamic counselling from Birkbeck University and to be an “honorary professor” in Durham University’s sociology department.
Prof Arday had repeatedly claimed that he was the author of a book called Being Young, Black and Male: Challenging the Dominant Discourse.
The book was listed in his biography description in published essays as well as in promotional material for speaking events, and was attributed to the Palgrave Macmillan publishing house. There is no evidence that any book was written or published.

I’m not surprised he wants to avoid further scrutiny.

Sounds like he is a pathological liar. I worked with a young woman once who used to come into work saying she had been attacked by a gang of youths on her way home. Other times she would say she had won a load of money or passed loads of exams at evening classes etc.

At first she got a lot of sympathy and interest but then the lies came more frequently and if anybody got suspicious or asked questions she would just walk away.

I’m not surprised he wants to avoid further scrutiny

!!

No chance now.
He has said far too much, and publically, for that to happen.

welbeck

Isn't it an offence to gain pecuniary advantage by misrepresentation.
ie getting a job by falsifying particulars on job application.

This made me remember Sion Jenkins who was the foster parent of teenager Billie-Jo and who was tried for her murder, imprisoned then had two appeals the second of which he won.

He was a Deputy Head Teacher who lied on his CV about his qualifications and was in the process of applying for a Headship when Billie was murdered at their home. He obtained “pecuniary advantage by deception.”

The 'Professor' is indeed complicit in his own downfall, and understandably has resorted to to claiming he is the victim of racism. Indeed he is: racism in the form of the arrogance of various academic institutions, publishers and college faculties who have given Arday so many awards and so much awesome praise, are themselves being racist - as If they're shouting: Look! here is a young man of colour who has risen to the top in academia, despite reduced circumstances and serious health issues. (Thereby inferring that if you're someone who looks like Arday, and who has suffered his difficult early circumstances, this would be impossible). I do find myself feeling sorry for him. He has been led down the wrong path by people pushing their own agendas and unsurprisingly, has believed his own publicity.

BTW: in my day the honorary title 'Professor' was awarded only after an academic had had a long career, and had published significantly. What might have happened if this young man had been left alone and given time to work hard and fashion himself an academic career in the usual way? He might have had success, a good career, and a nice life. That's been ruined now. Very sad.