Recall Madonna Constantine, the Columbia University professor who made headlines last October after claiming to be a victim of a hate crime when she found a noose hanging from her door. At the time, it wasn't public that Constantine was also under investigation for widespread plagiarism, charged with lifting others' work without credit in numerous academic journal articles she bylined. So then it was thought that perhaps somebody sympathetic to Constantine, or Constantine herself, had placed the noose on her door to drum up sympathy for her, boning up her defense that she was the victim — of "structural racism that pervades this institution," according to her own words.
An investigation was launched to encompass both matters and now, it seems, a conclusion:
Constantine has been fired, at the advisement of Columbia's faculty advisory committee. She has until July 15 to appeal the decision; until then, she's on suspension.
The university based its decision on an 18-month investigations by the law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed, which itself concluded Constantine plagiarized from two former doctoral students and a former colleague in some 20-plus instances.
Yes, yes, but was Constantine, at the very least, a decent professor? Perhaps we'll never know — her name doesn't turn up a single result on RateMyProfessors.com, a website that, one would think, would zero in on something like this.
[NY Sun]
Editorial Director
She's on Rate MY Professor, though only from when she taught at Ohio State: http://www.ratemyprofessors.co.....tid=150919
I can't help myself,somebody has to say it:
Looks like Constantine hung herself
bababing!
The first thing Professor Constantine did wrong was take a job at Teachers College. The programs in Psychology had been place under probation by the American Psychological Association before she was hired, and the Counseling Program was not functioning properly years before her first day of work there, which means she was walking into a bad situation to start with. To come into a conservative school that has multicultural courses to "appear liberal" and discuss race was the other mistake. Third, the programs in psychology at Teachers College are not true preparation or at all relevant for what awaits a professional once he/she graduates. They do not focus on any of the skills
that are relevant to the field or to the world of work in general (current and prospective students: buyer beware). The non-education programs at Teachers College are mere moneymakers for the school. I hope Professor Constantine will take what was a bad situation, that got worse the longer she stayed there, and go on with her professional and personal life. In academia, for black professors or black students the way they discredit you, or stop you is to accuse you of plagiarism.
Perhaps this is the lesson she and others can take from her experience at Teacher College.
Nothing good comes from dishonesty. Professor Constantine plagiarized the work of graduate students. That's an unforgivable betrayal of trust. The woman is shameless. She brazenly stands up there and slanders Columbia and pulls out the (entirely overused and now tainted) race card in her defense. What would be best, is for the Black Community to stand up and condemn her which is exactly what she deserves. Her actions taint other Black professors who would never dream of doing what she has done. Shame on her.
Jo the prof, shut up. The school already let her go , so there is no need to condemnn her further. Who are you to say what the Black Community needs to do following her departure from Teachers College? The self-importance of academicians is out of control. Instead of dwelling in research la-la land, the contemporary institution of higher education needs to focus on imparting the SKILLS that employers want, expect and demand once students graduate, so that they are able to land jobs, pay off loans and other debts, and advance professionally. The current and prospective undregraduate and graduate students needs to demand that schools teach transferable skills applicable to an ever-changing work place. The high price of higher education today and the high interest rate of student loans that todays student incurs must pay off, in the long run and in the short run.