Florida State University fires professor responsible for retracted racism studies, according to reports.

Florida ​State University Fires Professor Over⁢ Academic ‌Fraud Allegations

Florida State University has recently made the decision to terminate the‍ employment of Dr. Eric‍ Stewart, a criminology professor, following the retraction of five of his studies on racism. This brings an end to a‌ long-standing and contentious conflict surrounding allegations of ‍academic fraud.

The termination letter,‍ obtained⁤ by ⁣Retraction Watch,⁢ states that Stewart was fired on July ⁢13th due to his behavior and “extreme⁤ negligence and⁤ incompetence” in basic ​data management. ⁢These shortcomings have ‌resulted in⁢ an unprecedented number of retracted articles and others ⁢that ⁣are ‍now under scrutiny. ‍James Clark, the ‌school’s provost and executive vice president for academic ⁢affairs, expressed⁤ concern that these retractions have had ‌a negative impact⁣ on the discipline of criminology at⁣ a⁢ national level.

“Decades of⁣ research that were once ​thought to be at the forefront of the criminology discipline have been shown to contain numerous erroneous and false narratives,” ‌Clark wrote.

“The damage to the standing of​ the University and, in particular, the College of Criminology and ⁤Criminal Justice and its faculty approaches the ‌catastrophic ⁢and may be unalterable,” he added.
⁢

The repercussions of⁤ Stewart’s research misconduct have extended beyond the university. The letter highlights ⁣how it has affected Florida⁣ State’s ‌recruitment efforts for both students and faculty.​ Additionally, other researchers at the university now worry about the potential challenges they may face in getting‍ their ⁢own⁤ papers published in top journals.

Clark‍ emphasized that the decision to terminate‌ Stewart’s employment was made after​ a​ thorough‍ review of ⁢the ⁣evidence gathered during the school’s investigation. Stewart‌ was also given the opportunity​ to defend himself before‍ a peer panel.

In March, Stewart abruptly left his ⁣position ‍after ⁣being accused⁣ by his peers⁣ of ‍academic fraud. The Florida Standard reported that Stewart, who is‍ black,​ had been accused of manipulating data to exaggerate ​the prevalence of racism within the criminal justice system.

Stewart, an associate professor ‍at FSU’s College ‌of Criminology‍ and Criminal Justice, ​had been employed at the university for 16 years and was a ​Fellow of the American Society ‍of Criminology. The retraction of six of​ his studies, ⁢five of which focused on ‌race, ⁣has tarnished the reputation⁢ of FSU’s prestigious‌ criminology department.

The first⁢ accusation of ⁢data falsification came in 2019 from Justin Pickett,⁤ a ‌professor ‌at the State University of New York⁢ at Albany. ‌Pickett and Stewart had co-authored one of ⁢the retracted studies published in 2011.⁣ The study claimed to find a ‌correlation between⁢ growing⁣ black and Hispanic populations and the public’s ‍desire for harsher ​criminal sentences. However, Pickett discovered that the original data showed no⁤ such⁣ relationship and even suggested the opposite.

Pickett also found other irregularities in the study, such ⁢as an ​increase in the sample ‍size and a ‌significant‌ reduction in‍ the number of counties polled. These⁣ issues ⁢raised doubts ⁢about the validity ⁢of the data. In an ‌analysis for Econ Journal Watch,⁢ Pickett concluded that scientific fraud was the⁢ most likely explanation for the‌ data irregularities in ⁣the retracted⁢ articles.

Stewart’s refusal ​to provide Pickett⁢ with a copy of the original‍ data for four months further⁤ raised suspicions.⁤ In emails to FSU administrators, Stewart ⁣expressed⁤ feeling targeted and accused⁣ Pickett of “essentially lynching” ‍him and damaging his academic character.

Initially, FSU did not respond strongly to the allegations of⁢ academic fraud. However, ⁤when the sixth study was challenged ‌in ‌2020, the university finally launched a full-scale investigation.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases