In the aftermath of the December cheating scandal involving a freshman college algebra class, the committee on academic ethics planned a symposium for 3:30 p.m. March 20 at McComas Hall with keynote speaker and ethics expert Dr. Donald McCabe of Rutgers University. Appointed by Interim Provost George Verrall and Vice President for Student Affairs Roy Ruby, the eight-person committee, composed of faculty, staff and students, planned the symposium titled “Who Cheats, Who Doesn’t and Who Cares? Academic Integrity and Today’s University” after a strong reaction to the incident by Interim President Charles Lee.
“Dr. Lee was coming in as it (the cheating incident) happened and was concerned over the matter,” Director of Student Life and symposium Chair Eddie Keith said. “The executive council was then to determine what the appropriate action should be, and Dr. Ruby and Dr. Verrall put the committee together.”
One of the major goals of the committee was to educate students about academic dishonesty.
“We feel that the symposium is an opportunity to heighten awareness of academic integrity,” Dean of Students Mike White said. “I think the algebra scandal made everyone aware of this opportunity.”
According to Keith, the committee asked McCabe to study the transition of academic dishonesty in institutions of higher learning as it progresses from dishonesty in high schools. Another goal set by the committee was to discuss the new challenge of the Internet. McCabe will speak on the how the Internet has made cheating available and easy to students all over the country.
“He (McCabe) will be able to talk about what our peer schools like Kansas State and Texas A&M are doing to correct the problem of academic dishonesty,” Keith said.
Some of the more effective devices against academic dishonesty at peer institutions are student-centered. Things like an honor code or an academic ethics week get students involved, and Keith said research shows the more awareness a problem has, the less likely students are to commit the offense.
“The schools that have an explicit, stated honor code in place have smaller instances of cheating behavior,” Keith said. “Some schools have an academic ethics week where peer counselors come speak to classes, all prospective students are told of the policy up front and students can attend mock academic dishonesty hearings. These things seem to work.”
After McCabe’s research and speech at MSU, the committee will take its findings to the Division of Academic Affairs for the evaluation and implementation of a full-scale plan.
“Dr. McCabe will use the results of his survey in his speech, and the committee will make recommendations to the provost for follow-up programs and maybe another symposium from that information,” said James Stevens, chair of the committee on academic honesty, a separate committee that deals with academic misconduct issues. “We want the issue in the forefront of students’ consciousness.”
“It (dealing with academic dishonesty) will be a challenge,” Keith said. “We do not have a huge problem with academic dishonesty on our campus, but the issue needs to be addressed, and this committee and Dr. McCabe are the ones to do it.
“This will not be a one-shot deal. We need to use this as an opportunity to examine academic dishonesty on our campus and work to eliminate it.”
Stevens also said, “We want to get a broader focus (on academic dishonesty) among the campus and community groups. We want to question it and deal with it.”
Prior to the symposium, McCabe will facilitate a meeting on academic integrity with key academic leaders and representatives from the MSU Student Association and several student honoraries.
McCabe has a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry from Princeton University, a master’s in marketing from Seton Hall University and a doctorate in management from New York University as well as over 20 years of experience in the corporate world.
McCabe is a professor of organization and management at Rutgers University. Over the last 10 years, he has done extensive research on college cheating and surveyed over 16,000 students at more than 60 colleges and universities.
Last year, McCabe completed a nationwide survey of 4,500 high school students and is currently conducting a survey of college students on campuses across the United States and Canada. He has published his research widely in business, education and sociology journals and is founding president of the Center for Academic Integrity, which is affiliated with the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University in Durham, N.C.
For more information on the Center for Academic Integrity go to the Center’s Web site at www.academicintegrity.org.
For more information on the ethics symposium and the committee, call Keith at 325-2513.