Latest news with #tenure
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Harvard Professor Who Studied Honesty Loses Tenure Amid Accusations of Falsifying Data
A Harvard professor who has written extensively about honesty was stripped of her tenure this month, a university spokesman said on Tuesday, after allegations that she had falsified data. The scholar, Francesca Gino, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and a prominent behavioral scientist, has studied how small changes can influence behavior and been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals. Among the studies in which Dr. Gino has been a co-author are, for example, one showing that counting to 10 before deciding what to eat can lead to choosing healthier food. In 2021 and 2023, Dr. Gino was accused by other professors on a blog site of falsifying data in academic papers. Harvard told Dr. Gino that it had received allegations that she manipulated data in four papers. She has broadly denied the claims. Many of Dr. Gino's papers were influential in the field. Her résumé lists dozens of articles, books and papers for which she was an author or co-author. But further studies in recent years have cast doubt on some of her findings. Dr. Gino did not immediately respond to a request for comment. As of Tuesday morning, her Harvard webpage remained up and she was listed as being on administrative leave. She is no longer included in Harvard Business School's faculty directory. In a 2012 paper, Dr. Gino showed that people who were paid a small amount of money to solve puzzles were more likely to be honest about how many they had solved if a question about the accuracy of their reports was put at the top of the document instead of the bottom. But in a 2023 blog post at a site about statistical methods called Data Colada, three professors showed that some of the data in the study had been changed in a way that made the result more robust. Dr. Gino was also a co-author in a similar study in which insurance customers who reported the mileage on their cars were more honest if the question was at the top of the form. In a blog post in 2021, the same authors had found that much of the data came from someone connected to the study, not from the customers. In 2023, Harvard Business School put Dr. Gino on unpaid administrative leave, and banned her from campus, she said on her webpage. 'I absolutely did not commit academic fraud,' she said. Last year, she added, 'Once I have the opportunity to prove this in the court of law, with the support of experts I was denied through Harvard's investigation process, you'll see why their case is so weak and that these are bogus allegations. Until then, this is all I can share.' Dr. Gino has filed a lawsuit against Harvard and the bloggers. Last year, defamation claims in that suit were thrown out when a judge ruled that she was a public figure. Other parts of the lawsuit are ongoing. Dr. Gino previously taught at the University of North Carolina and Carnegie Mellon. She earned her undergraduate degree and Ph.D in Italy. She joined Harvard in 2010. Stripping a professor of tenure is rare, and there are no known instances in recent decades at Harvard. The Harvard Crimson reported that no professor had lost their tenure since the rules were formalized in the 1940s. Harvard was shaken in 2023 by accusations in conservative news media outlets of plagiarism by its president, Claudine Gay. She stepped down as president the next year amid those allegations and criticism of her response to antisemitism on campus. Harvard is also embroiled in a high-stakes dispute with the Trump administration, which is looking to cancel all federal government contracts with the university and block it from enrolling international students.
Free Malaysia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
No word yet on tenure extension for Tengku Maimun, 2 other senior judges
Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat is expected to retire on July 2, Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim on July 1, and senior Federal Court judge Nallini Pathmanathan on Aug 21. PUTRAJAYA : The judiciary is still awaiting formal letters as to whether the tenure of three senior judges, including Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, will be extended. The other two are Court of Appeal president Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and senior Federal Court judge Nallini Pathmanathan. 'It is still pending and we are still waiting for a reply,' Tengku Maimun told reporters after attending a ceremony marking the elevation of three judges today. Article 125 of the Federal Constitution states that superior court judges shall hold office until age 66, but their tenure can be extended for up to six months by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Abang Iskandar is scheduled to go on mandatory retirement on July 1, while Tengku Maimun retires the following day. Nallini will retire on Aug 21. The king had earlier extended the tenure of five apex court judges, including two judicial administrators. They are Chief Judge of Malaya Hasnah Hashim, who will now remain in office until Nov 14, and Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abdul Rahman Sebli, who will remain in office until July 24. The others are Justices Zabariah Yusof (until Oct 9) and Hanipah Farikullah (until Nov 22). Justice Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil was also offered an extension but he declined the offer and left office last month. Earlier today, Justice Lee Swee Seng, who was promoted to the Federal Court, took his oath of office before Tengku Maimun. Justices Hayatul Akmal Abdul Aziz and Lim Hock Leng, who were elevated from the High Court to the Court of Appeal, took their oaths before Abang Iskandar.
South China Morning Post
14-05-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Prestige vs progress: what stops China's researchers from chasing big new ideas?
When artificial intelligence (AI) researcher Shen left a lucrative job at a major tech firm three years ago to pursue his passion for research, he was unaware of the reality waiting for him in academia. Now, as an associate professor at an elite university in eastern China, Shen spends less than a third of his time on actual research, as other duties such as supervising student projects, keep cutting into time for his own projects. Young researchers like Shen are also under pressure to produce more immediate results, instead of pursuing bold, exploratory projects, because of a competitive tenure and funding system based on factors such as awards. 'I had expected connections and reputation to matter,' said Shen, whose grant applications have repeatedly fallen through. 'But they turned out to be even more important than I thought.' 'To pursue truly original ideas, you need to invest a huge amount of time and effort,' he said, declining to be identified by his full name. 'But because of these practical constraints, I don't really dare to go all in.' Shen's frustrations reflect a deeper concern.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Louisiana tries to retain higher education employees with more retirement flexibility
Rep. Tony Bacala presents his bill. (Allison Allsop / Louisiana Illuminator) Louisiana legislators are advancing a proposal with the goal of keeping tenured professors and critical employees from leaving Louisiana colleges and universities, but it lacks one enticement faculty and staff consider critical to keeping them on campus. House Bill 24 by Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, would expand eligibility for the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL) to include faculty at the state's community and technical colleges. It also extends the period when employees can switch from a 'portable' retirement plan to the fixed, pension style plan offered to most state employees. Qualifying campus faculty and employees would have seven years instead of five years , to choose between the two plans, aligning it with the typical timeline it takes for professors to earn tenure. Bacala's bill incorporates most of the recommendations from a Board of Regents task force he helped form. An increase in employer contributions to TRSL retirement plans was among the most anticipated portions of Bacala's bill. In its original state, it would have increased the minimum employer contribution to portable plan accounts from 6.2% to 8% of employee pay. The contribution bump was removed from the bill because it would have increased state spending more than $11 million annually. It might be put back into the bill, Bacala said, if state forecasts recognize an increase in revenue that would give lawmakers more money to spend in the upcoming budget cycle. Louisiana has the lowest employer contribution rate for higher education employees among southeastern states, according to TRSL executive counsel Trey Roche. Louisiana's average faculty pay also lags behind other states in the region. Last year, lawmakers gave certain higher education employees a limited window to switch from the portable plan to defined benefits. According to the Board of Regents, 795 applied for the change as of the end of 2024. Nearly 7,000 college and university faculty and staff members are enrolled in the state's 'portable' or optional retirement plan that allows them to take their accrued benefits with them if they choose to leave the state for another job. But as professors earn tenure and key personnel stay in place longer, the limited ability to switch over to the fixed benefit plan with a higher payout makes Louisiana less attractive for employees who want to finish their careers here. In the past, the Teachers Retirement System has stymied attempts to change the optional retirement plan. While its board has not taken an official position on the bill, Bacala seemed confident its members would be on board. Bacala's bill has unanimously passed the House retirement and appropriations committees and will next be debated in the full House of Representatives. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
