The United States has strongly criticized Ghent University in Belgium for suspending an American academic who publicly raised allegations of plagiarism against the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday.
US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White said Friday that Washington was reviewing its existing relationships with Ghent University following the university’s decision to suspend the scholar.
White said the US government supports research programs, academic exchanges and other forms of cooperation with universities around the world. He argued that institutions that punish individuals for reporting alleged academic misconduct should not be considered desirable partners.
The ambassador also defended the scholar’s right to academic freedom and freedom of expression. He said the controversial views expressed by the academic were already known to the university when he was employed.
White argued that the dispute should not primarily be viewed through the content of the scholar’s opinions but rather through the broader issues of free speech and the reporting of alleged academic misconduct.
Jason Arday became widely known after being appointed as Cambridge University’s youngest Black professor in 2023. He was the son of Ghanaian immigrants and grew up in a working-class area of South London.
Arday’s academic career came under significant scrutiny in July after allegations of plagiarism emerged. Questions were also raised about parts of his academic background and personal history.
He resigned from Cambridge on Aug. 5. The university announced a week later that it would investigate his appointment. On Aug. 14, Arday was found dead at his home in South London. Police described the death as unexpected but said they did not believe it was suspicious.
The American scholar involved in the dispute had previously published controversial claims about racial differences in intelligence and argued that racial representation among university professors would be very different under a purely merit-based system.
Ghent University said Thursday that it had begun a preliminary disciplinary investigation involving a postdoctoral researcher. Although the university did not identify the researcher by name, it confirmed that the individual had been suspended as a precaution while the investigation continues.
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