Cambridge University Announces Review After Death Of Jason Arday

LONDON, Sept 5 (Bernama-PA Media/dpa) -- The University of Cambridge has announced an independent review into its “decision-making and actions,” after the death of its former academic professor Jason Arday.

Arday, 41, resigned from his post as professor of sociology of education at the university after he faced intense scrutiny over accusations of plagiarism, reported PA Media/dpa.

He was found “unresponsive” by family members at his home in Battersea, south London, on the afternoon of August 14, London Inner South Coroner’s Court heard last month.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said the time since his death “has been a period of profound sadness and reflection for the university.”

Prentice said “while nothing can undo the loss of Professor Arday, this review can help us better understand what happened.”

In a post on social media, the University of Cambridge said: “University Council took the necessary steps to launch an independent review into the university’s decision-making and actions, with a focus on identifying shortcomings and areas for improvement.”

The first part of the review will examine the “support, interventions and protections available to Professor Arday during the period prior to his death.”

The university said it will report within three months, “enabling recommendations for urgent action to be considered and implemented without delay.”

It will be led by Nazir Afzal, the former chief crown prosecutor for the North-West of England and current chancellor of the University of Manchester.

The university said the second part of the review “will consider the wider context of Professor Arday’s time at the university, including the recruitment of senior academic staff, mentoring and support arrangements.”

It would also examine “the university’s response to allegations of research misconduct, and the support available to academics who are subject to extraordinary public and media scrutiny.”

The University of Cambridge said it was appointing an independent external chair to lead this work and would establish an expert panel, “including individuals with lived experience, to advise the review.”

The second part of the review is expected to conclude within six months of the establishment of the panel.

Accusations of plagiarism were initially made against Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2023, by academic Nathan Cofnas.

Cofnas, who has advocated for “race realism,” was suspended from his post at Ghent University last month.

Organisers said more than 30,000 people attended a vigil for Arday in Trafalgar Square, central London, after his death.

Speakers criticised the press coverage of Arday. Labour Member of Parliament Diane Abbott said he had been the subject of a “vicious” and “bitter” campaign, and Lord Simon Woolley described it as a “public execution” and a “lynching.”

In a video message, Prentice said: “I am conscious that Professor Arday’s death has deeply affected black staff and students, as well as our neurodiverse community.

“There has also been an unacceptable rise in racist, hateful, and abusive attacks on our staff and students in online forums and on social media.”

Afzal said: “I am honoured to have been asked to lead part one of this important independent review.

“At its heart is a person, a family and a community who have been profoundly affected by Professor Arday’s death.

“It is important that we approach this work with both rigour and humanity.

“My responsibility will be to listen carefully, examine the evidence thoroughly and understand what support, interventions and protections were available to Professor Arday in the period before his death.

“We must be willing to ask difficult questions, including whether more could and should have been done."

--BERNAMA-PA MEDIA/dpa