Julius Nyang’oro, chairman of the University’s Afro-American Studies Department, resigned today in the wake of “irregularities” surrounding courses in his department and their relation to the investigation into the football team, according to a statement from Chancellor Holden Thorp.
“Because academic integrity is paramount, we have every obligation to get to the bottom of these issues,” Thorp said. “This process has been difficult, and we’ve been through a lot this past year, but the only right thing to do is to pursue the facts and fix the problems.”
Nyang’oro became a focus of the football scandal in July when it was found that former defensive end Michael McAdoo had plagiarized a paper for Nyang’oro’s class, and the plagiarism had not been detected.
The (Raleigh) News & Observer later reported that Nyang’oro had hired a sports agent to teach a summer class without informing Karen Gil, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Gil has appointed professor Evelyne Huber to interim chairwoman of the department. She is the chairwoman of the political science department.
In the release, Thorp said the University still values the Afro-American Studies Department.
“This is an important area of study for a prestigious Southern university, and that makes it all the more important that we correct any problems that may exist within the department,” he said.
