February 11, 2019
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THE MERCURY
UTDMERCURY.COM
ACADEMIC SCANDAL HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR IMPROVED TRANSPARENCY 2012
The JAL program, funded exclusively through tuition, is created.
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Sept. 18, 2012
Memorandum of understanding signed by criminology professors John Worrall and Robert Taylor fails to comply with UTD transfer credit policy.
March 28, 2012
Worrall, Taylor and an unnamed person meet to discuss awarding credit to transfer students from CPI and ILEA. It did not involve any discussion of awarding A’s.
April 2015
Worrall submits another MOU requesting approval of transfer credit policy. It is denied on May 16.
May 18, 2015
Worrall sends an email to Taylor and Galia Cohen, writing, “Well, the MOU is dead. This stinks, but I understand their position and will live with it. I say we continue with the current practice with which we are familiar.”
Sept. 16, 2016
Cohen emails Worrall, saying she excused certain students from participating — and awarded them A’s — because they were graduates of CPI. Worrall alleges this was the first time he was made aware of the A’s without attendance.
Aug. 1, 2017
Denis Dean, the EPPS dean at the time, appoints Worrall as JAL’s director, an administrative appointment, through Aug. 31, 2018.
December 2017
University administrators alerted to unauthorized practices within the JAL program, according to a statement made by President Richard Benson on Feb. 6, 2019.
May 9, 2018
Provost Inga Musselman receives UT System’s investigative report of the JAL program from Trey Atchley, UT System’s chief investigative officer.
May 23, 2018
Executive Vice President Hobson Wildenthal forwards the report to Benson. Musselman, Benson and Wildenthal make plans to discuss it on May 23, but run out of time.
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
he recent controversy surrounding the Justice Administration and Leadership program came to light in a Feb. 3 report by The Dallas Morning News, in which transfer students in a criminology master’s program were awarded A’s for classes they did not attend. There still remain unanswered questions. However, The News took things a step further by publishing a scathing editorial the day after their investigative piece was released. The editorial singled out UTD President Richard Benson and overgeneralized multiple aspects of the controversy. While Benson holds ultimate responsibility as university president, he is not fully to blame. The editorial fails to address the fact that these fraudulent practices took place well before Benson took office. But it also begs a bigger question: who made the mistake that is at the root of this scandal, and how can we fix it? It’s clear the problem goes beyond Benson. The controversy surrounding the JAL program highlights the need for improved reporting practices and more open communication channels between university administrators, faculty and students. In its news report, The News cites an investigative report compiled by UT System in May 2018. The Mercury attempted to obtain a copy of this report in early January 2019 through an open records request, but was met with resistance on the basis of exemptions in the Texas Education Code. However, The Mercury did obtain a series of other documents detailing correspondence between the three professors at the center of the scandal — John Worrall, Robert Taylor and Galia Cohen — and university administrators. → SEE JAL, PAGE 9
May 24, 2018
Worrall and Taylor receive letters from the provost that terminate them from their positions within the JAL program.
May 31, 2018
Worrall sends a response to the provost defending his actions, saying that he “inherited” JAL program practices and that he signed a contract with Dean appointing him as director. Worrall demands that he continue as director and teach JAL courses through May 1, 2019, and demands the balance of the stipend he would have received as program director.
June 12, 2018
Provost responds to Worrall’s May 31 letter, saying that Denis Dean did not have the authority to make the contract and that administrative positions serve at the pleasure of the president. She denies his request for compensation.
June 29, 2018
Tim Shaw, the university attorney, responds to a June 21, 2018 letter from Frank Hill, the attorney representing Taylor. Shaw denies Taylor's request for teaching online-only classes and phased retirement.
July 6, 2018
Cohen, Taylor and Worrall all receive letters from the provost notifying them of the initiation of proceedings to terminate them as faculty members. In Taylor’s letter, the provost suggests that the A credit transfer system was Taylor’s idea.
July 27, 2018
Laura Barbour, a senior attorney for UT System, informs Hill that his clients have not yet been suspended or terminated from their positions and are expected to continue with their duties. She says they will receive academic year appointment letters on Aug. 1.
Aug. 3, 2018
Hill sends an email to Barbour and Shaw confirming that Taylor received his appointment letter on Aug. 1, but says Taylor won’t sign until he is assured he will be able to teach online-only classes for the 2018-2019 academic year.