The University of Cambridge has abandoned plans to fully investigate its hiring of Jason Arday, scaling back an inquiry into the late professor’s appointment amid questions about his academic record and personal history, according to The New York Times.
Instead, the university will focus the first part of its review on whether Cambridge provided sufficient support to Arday as he faced accusations that he plagiarized portions of his doctoral thesis and embellished elements of his personal story. A second review will broadly examine the university’s hiring and academic misconduct policies, but Arday himself will not be its focus, the Times reported Friday.
The change could leave unanswered questions about how Cambridge hired Arday for a prestigious professorship in education in 2022 and the university’s role in promoting his biography. Vice Chancellor Deborah Prentice had previously promised a “thorough and transparent” investigation into Arday’s appointment.
Some Cambridge professors are now circulating a letter demanding greater institutional accountability and an examination of how the university promoted Arday’s story, according to a draft obtained by the Times.
Cambridge touted Arday, who was 37 when he was hired, as its youngest Black professor ever. He had said he could not speak until age 11 or read until age 18, claims that became central to his public profile and later his memoir, “Great and Unfortunate Things,” published by Simon & Schuster.
Arday resigned from Cambridge on Aug. 5 amid mounting scrutiny of his academic work and biography. He denied intentionally plagiarizing his work. He was then found dead at his home in south London nine days later at age 41. No official cause of death has been released.
Following his death, Cambridge announced a two-part independent review. Former British prosecutor Nazir Afzal is leading the first portion, which is focused on Arday’s welfare and the support he received from the university.
The investigation is “not about the allegations made against Professor Arday or about his academic record,” Afzal said, according to the Times. “It’s about his welfare, his care, his well-being.”
A second review by an expert panel will examine broader institutional practices, including the recruitment of senior academics, Cambridge’s handling of research-misconduct allegations and support for academics facing intense public scrutiny. While the review may examine the broader context of Arday’s time at Cambridge, it will not specifically investigate him.
A Cambridge spokesperson did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request.
TheWrap previously reported that Simon & Schuster moved forward with “Great and Unfortunate Things” amid scrutiny of elements of Arday’s personal history. The publisher said Arday, his co-writer and its editorial and legal teams worked to “carefully research, write and corroborate the narrative.”
The memoir was released in the U.S. three days before Arday’s death and sold just 433 tracked print copies during its first five days, according to Circana BookScan data obtained by TheWrap. Simon & Schuster subsequently moved forward with the book’s U.K. publication “in accordance with his family’s wishes.”
