Dr. Darryll Pines University of Maryland
The system announced late Friday that an independent committee found "no evidence of misconduct" by Pines after examining claims that he plagiarized sections of research papers published in 2002 and 2006. The investigation, led by the law firm Ropes & Gray, spanned three rounds of review over the course of a year.
In a joint statement, Board of Regents Chair Linda Gooden, Chancellor Jay Perman, and Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development Michele Masucci wrote that Pines "immediately and appropriately recused himself from the process and cooperated fully with the investigation" after the allegations emerged through news reports in September 2024.
The review extended beyond the two papers in question to examine other journal articles and works authored by Pines throughout his academic career.
While the committee cleared Pines of misconduct, it acknowledged finding "select portions of text previously published by another author" in the introductory sections of the papers. The committee also identified a "discrepancy in assignment of authorship" in a separate work, though investigators determined Pines was not responsible for either issue.
The allegations first surfaced in a September 2024 article by the conservative outlet Daily Wire, which claimed that a 1,500-word section of a 5,000-word research article co-authored by Pines was taken from a website created by then-doctoral student Joshua Altmann.
Pines addressed the accusations the following day in a letter to faculty, stating, "While I do not believe there is merit to these claims, an impartial review is in the best interest of the university."
In a September interview, Altmann characterized the language in the introductory sections as "clear plagiarism" but noted that since Pines was not the sole author, it was possible he had no knowledge of the problematic sections if they were written by his co-author.
The allegations against Pines emerged amid a broader pattern of similar accusations targeting academics and university administrators nationwide, with critics noting that Black scholars and those involved in diversity initiatives have been disproportionately scrutinized.
University system officials emphasized that their investigation focused not merely on whether citations were missed—which can occur without intent—but on whether the work aligned with "accepted practice, intent and awareness" at the time of publication.
"The Board of Regents and the Chancellor, in their role overseeing the appointment and conduct of university presidents, accept the conclusions of the UMD process," the statement read. "Furthermore, we continue to have great confidence in President Pines's leadership and strongly affirm his role leading the University of Maryland, College Park."
