The University of Pennsylvania will allow Dr. Gregory J. Vincent—the former president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges who resigned amid allegations that he plagiarized portions of his dissertation—the opportunity to make revisions to his literature review chapter.
Once those revisions to his citations are made, according to sources at the Ivy League institution, Vincent’s 2004 doctorate in education will stand.
“Dr. Pam Grossman, the dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, informed me that after a thorough review I will be able to make the necessary corrections to the Literature Review chapter of my dissertation and that my doctoral degree will stand,” said Vincent. “I thank the Penn Graduate School of Education Faculty that reviewed my work and reaffirmed that my dissertation made an original contribution to the field.”
Vincent resigned from his presidential post on April 13th after an anonymous email was sent to several media outlets, accusing him of plagiarizing parts of his dissertation—a claim that he has consistently denied.
In a brief interview with Diverse on Sunday, Vincent said that his decision to step down as president was in the best interest of his family and the college community.
“I think the thing that became clear to me is that we have to always take care of community and never allow people, whether they are insiders or outsiders, to destroy the fabric of the community,” said Vincent, a 1983 alumnus of HWS Colleges. “The other thing I learned from being president is that although you’re in this very responsible, high-profile position, it’s not about you. It’s about the institution and you always have to put the institution first. I saw what it was doing to the community and also I saw the incredible impact it was having on my family.”
Vincent, who served as vice president for diversity and community engagement at The University of Texas at Austin, came to national prominence following his robust defense of the university during the Fisher v. University of Texas case in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of affirmative action in the college admissions process.
