Bill Ackman has announced plans to conduct plagiarism checks on the work of MIT president Sally Kornbluth and other faculty members, following expanded allegations of plagiarism against his wife, former MIT professor Neri Oxman, by Business Insider. Ackman's campaign comes after Kornbluth's handling of antisemitism on campus was questioned, and other university presidents resigned over similar issues. Oxman has admitted to citation errors in her doctoral dissertation. Ackman has promised to share the findings publicly and has also called for assistance in his review, while MIT continues to focus on its institutional work.
Billionaire Bill Ackman has announced plans to review the work of MIT faculty, including President Sally Kornbluth, for plagiarism. This decision follows a Business Insider report alleging that Ackman's wife, Neri Oxman, plagiarized parts of her 2010 PhD dissertation at MIT. Ackman has become a vocal critic of university leadership following a Congressional hearing where former presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, along with Kornbluth, did not condemn calls for genocide against Jews. Despite the scrutiny, Kornbluth has not indicated any intention to resign and has instead announced new campus initiatives.
Bill Ackman has announced plans to conduct plagiarism checks on all MIT faculty members following expanded allegations of plagiarism against his wife, Neri Oxman, who is a former MIT professor. This decision targets the work of the current faculty, including President Sally Kornbluth and board members, and will utilize MIT's plagiarism standards. Ackman's move intensifies his ongoing campaign against the university's leadership.
Sally Kornbluth, president of MIT, has managed to maintain her position despite the recent ousting of her counterparts at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania following a congressional hearing on antisemitism. While facing criticism, including from Representative Elise Stefanik, Kornbluth has not been subjected to the same level of pressure from donors and alumni. The MIT Jewish Alumni Alliance has expressed dissatisfaction but prefers to work with the administration rather than call for resignations. Kornbluth's direct responses to congressional questioning and subsequent actions to address concerns about antisemitism on campus have garnered support from the MIT administration and helped mitigate some of the backlash.
