Bad PR for UC

Velma Montoya passed the story below to me. Not the best PR for UC at this point in the budget cycle.

Are Professors Picking the Public’s Pockets?

Rex Dalton, 8/25/11, Miller-McCune

From his arrival in the U.S. some 25 years ago, Tatsuya Suda deftly cut a path to the upper echelons of academic computer research. Fresh from prestigious Kyoto University, he steadily rose to become a tenured professor at the University of California, Irvine, earning a reputation for dynamic theories in computer networking at the dawn of the cell-phone age. He even wed Grammy-winning singer Rita Coolidge. But along this intellectual course, studded with access to valuable discoveries—Suda was one of the first nanotechnology researchers to explore the idea of using biological molecules in computer chips—records indicate he surreptitiously cultured a second calling: in embezzlement and as an undercover corporate agent…

The article goes on to describe other cases at different UC campuses. UCLA is not omitted from the list.

…A UCLA spokesman said the university “takes these matters very seriously,” but it “cannot substantially verify” what professors disclose about industry payments…

The article does note that UC filed a report on improper financial reports with the FPPC (Fair Political Practices Commission) which took action and there is continuing action by the university.

Full story at http://www.miller-mccune.com/business-economics/are-professors-picking-the-publics-pockets-35531/#

Normally, the public comments on (virtually any online article) are vituperative. But there is an interesting one posted on this particular article:

“Are Professors Picking the Public’s Pockets?”

“Are journalists who know little about higher education picking out one example and extrapolating a trend?”

There. I fixed that for you. Really, I expect better for M-McC than this sensationalist nonsense. On the one hand, it’s not news; on the other, it’s not a trend. As someone who reviews COI [conflict of interest] paperwork for my university, our faculty cannot inhale or exhale without revealing what COI may go with that. Sure, some bad problems may slip through a time or two. But the inevitable response to this one egregious case is that everyone else will have to go through a nightmare of paperwork and B.S. from clerks to get anything done. We don’t treat every cancer through radical surgery–we don’t need to treat this similarly. Sorry, my proposed headline was too long. Here’s a better one: “Is One UC-Irvine Professor Engaging in Financial Misconduct?” Yes, less sexy, but more accurate.

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In any event, it’s always good to start by making a good impression in any endeavor: