The Board of Trustees at Hobart and William Smith Colleges announced on Friday, April 13 that President Gregory J. Vincent ’83 would be resigning as the 27th President of Hobart and the 16th President of William Smith. The announcement comes in the midst of an investigation into claims that President Vincent plagiarized parts of his 2004 dissertation, which was completed for a Ed.D. degree at the University of Pennsylvania. The Herald previously verified that fifty-four sentences of his dissertation were plagiarized from other sources.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68, released a statement confirming the resignation. With Bozzuto’s announcement came the news that former Professor Economics Pat McGuire L.H.D.’12 will serve as Interim President. In the statement, released through Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Bozzuto wrote, “Gregory Vincent has decided to resign his position effective immediately. He does so in consideration of the best interests of his family and the Colleges, and with deep regret that anonymous accusations were a distraction to his presidency and the work of Hobart and William Smith. As I stated in past communications to campus, the Board has been working assiduously to protect the reputation, values and academic integrity of the Colleges. Certainly, it had been my hope that we would have the time to show, through a full and fair investigation of the anonymous allegations of plagiarism, that they are without merit. I do, however, understand and respect Greg’s position, and appreciate his thoughtful regard for the Colleges. His decision to resign as president means the Board has halted the investigation and turned its attention to the important work now facing the Colleges.”
Pat McGuire was a Professor at the Colleges for 42 years and delayed his 2011 retirement to serve as Interim Provost. Bozzuto wrote in his email, “A longtime HWS faculty member and respected scholar and teacher, Pat has more than 40 years of experience as a professor and administrator, most recently serving as the co-chair of the Culture of Respect initiative and as interim provost and dean of faculty. I am deeply grateful to Pat for assisting the Colleges in such an important way. I will be in touch with details on the presidential search when they are available.”
The news of President Vincent’s resignation comes as the Colleges prepare for end of the year ceremonies, including William Smith’s Moving Up Ceremony, Hobart’s Charter Day, and the Classes of 2018 Commencement.
The Herald will be pursuing more information on what the future exercises and events for the Classes of 2018 will entail, as well as what the future of the institution holds and when a search for the next President will occur. Coverage will continue online.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information as it becomes available. Follow hwsherald.com and for the most up-to-date information on the Colleges and the resignation of President Gregory Vincent ‘83.
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