Cambridge ‘plagiarism’ professor claimed he was paid ‘1.4m’ for book

The Cambridge professor accused of plagiarism claimed he was paid ‘1.4million’ for his memoirs, before he quit when the university launched an investigation into him.

Professor Jason Arday, once a poster boy for diversity as its youngest ever black professor, resigned last night amid queries over his academic work and credentials.

His decision followed a growing row ahead of the publication of his biography ‘Great and Unfortunate Things’ next Tuesday in the US and on August 27 in Britain.

The Guardian has now revealed that he told them publisher Simon and Schuster had offered ‘1.4million’ for a ‘pre-empt’ deal, a high early offer for a book before auction.

Arday’s biography ‘Great and Unfortunate Things’ is due to be published on Tuesday in the US

Industry experts suggested the payment was very high but possible if the company’s UK and US arms had teamed up to buy the book and sought worldwide rights.

But one senior publisher said a book like this would normally sell about 5,000 copies – and with £2 of royalty per copy, that would equate to an advance of £10,000.

Arday gave no currency for the amount during his interview, which is likely either £1.4million or $1.4million (£1million). Simon and Schuster has not confirmed the sum.

Separately, it has been revealed that the head of Arday’s former Cambridge faculty claimed that he was appointed after the university listened to its black students.

Professor Hilary Cremin, head of Cambridge’s faculty of education, spoke prior to Arday’s much-heralded appointment as professor of sociology of education in 2023.

Jason Arday speaks in 2023 with Professor Hilary Cremin, head of Cambridge’s faculty of education, who says he was appointed after the university listened to its black students

Professor Cremin refers during the interview to ‘some of the structural issues that people face’

Professor Jason Arday became Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2023

She told the BBC that these conversations with black students had helped Cambridge to ‘face up to some of the structural issues that people face’ at the university.

Professor Cremin was asked questions by Arday about his appointment, including: ‘How can this become the norm?’

She replied: ‘We’ve listened to the voices of our black scholars and our black students and some of it has not been easy to hear, to be honest, but we’re able to face up to some of the structural issues that people face.’

Dear colleagues,

It is with profound sadness that I write to resign, with immediate effect, from my position at the University of Cambridge and Jesus College.

When I accepted the extraordinary honour of becoming Professor of Sociology at Cambridge, it was, without question, the greatest professional privilege of my life. To become the youngest Black professor in the University’s history was something I could scarcely have imagined as a child growing up with a diagnosis of autism, unable to speak until I was eleven years old.

The response from so many people across the world was overwhelming. Thousands celebrated not simply my appointment, but what it represented: that talent, perseverance and hope can triumph over even the greatest adversity. It has been the privilege of my life to teach my students, to learn alongside them, and to witness their curiosity, kindness and ambition. They have given me far more than I could ever have given them.

Sadly, the years since my appointment have also been marked by an unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack. While criticism is an inevitable part of academic life, what I have experienced has gone far beyond scholarly disagreement. The relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love.

I have tried to continue because I believe deeply in the values of higher education, in rigorous scholarship, and in the transformative power of universities. I have tried because of my students, my colleagues and the countless people who have written to tell me that my journey gave them hope.

But there comes a point when the personal cost becomes too great.

I have a family. I want to be present for them. I want to reclaim some peace, some privacy and some semblance of an ordinary life. I no longer wish to feel as though I am living under a constant spotlight, where every aspect of my life is subject to public examination and judgement.

For my own wellbeing, for my family, and for those who have stood by me throughout this difficult period, I have concluded that the only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away.

This decision should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge. Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me. It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.

To my students: thank you. Teaching you has been the greatest honour of my academic career. Your brilliance, compᴀssion and determination give me enormous hope for the future.

To my colleagues and to the many thousands of people, from every corner of the world, who have supported me, defended me, written to me, and believed in me when it mattered most, I offer my deepest graтιтude. Your kindness has carried me through some of the darkest moments of my life.

This is not the end of my work. It is simply the end of this chapter.

I need time to heal. I need time to simply be myself again.

And when that time comes, I will return.

I will return stronger, wiser and with the same determination that has always defined my journey. There is still so much work to do, and I look forward to doing it alongside so many of you in the years ahead.

For now, however, I ask only for understanding, for compᴀssion, and for the space to begin again.

With graтιтude,

Professor Jason Arday

Credit: Good Law Project 

Arday also asked Professor Cremin what she thought about people claiming his was a ‘tokenistic appointment’.

She replied: ‘The board of electors on your interview day were absolutely unanimous. We are so lucky to have you. You are the best in the world in terms of the research that you do.’

Arday quit his high-profile role at Cambridge yesterday after it launched an investigation into his ‘academic qualifications and honorary appointments’.

It followed a series of media reports alleging he plagiarised his PhD thesis – completed at Liverpool John Moores University – and other research.

Further questions were asked about the truth of other claims, including saying that he ran 600 miles in six days and that he had raised £5.5 million for charity.

The Metropolitan Police has drawn criticism in the furore over an investigation into a claim of harassment made against a Times Higher Education journalist who emailed Arday with questions some months ago.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told LBC today that the force ‘dropped the ball on that one’ and the report should have been ‘screened out earlier as not requiring investigation’.

But Kehinde Andrews, who was until recently professor of black studies at Birmingham City University, told Sky News the reason Arday has received so much scrutiny is because there is an idea that he is a ‘DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) hire’ which he called ‘ludicrous’.

‘No one’s handing out favours to black people in higher education, and that idea is deeply dangerous and deeply racist,’ he said.

‘There is a whole campaign to get more black professors in, but the experiences that we have tend to be horrendous and it does put people off from trying to even get into these places in the first place.’

Professor Andrews was one of the signatories of a letter which criticised the ‘sustained and malicious attacks’ on the academic’s integrity, alongside Green Party leader Zack Polanski.

Defending his decision to put his name to it, Mr Polanski told LBC: ‘(The university) had already done, I think, two investigations and found there was no problem here or that the allegations were unfounded, and so (the letter) was about essentially saying that people of colour, particularly in society, can sometimes be held by higher standards.’

An investigation at Liverpool John Moores University cleared Arday of wrongdoing.

Arday was also initially backed by Cambridge, which had condemned a ‘vile campaign to undermine his credibility’.

But after the Daily Mail revealed a string of universities disputed Arday’s claims that he held academic posts with them, the university yesterday announced it was taking action.

Jesus College also said it was launching its own process in relation to the allegation.

Arday said in his open resignation letter that the ‘only way to bring this chapter to an end is to step away’.

In the letter addressed to colleagues published on the Good Law Project’s website, he said: ‘This decision should not be interpreted as a loss of faith in scholarship or in the values that first brought me to Cambridge.

‘Nor should it be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me. It is simply the decision of someone who has reached the limits of what any person should reasonably be expected to endure.’

It came after four prestigious universities in Britain, the US and South Africa all contradicted details of Arday’s professional background, which are listed on the website of Jesus College, where he is a fellow.

His official college biography claimed he was a visiting professor at the Ohio State University in the US, the University of Glasgow and Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. 

Spokesmen for all three universities have since denied he holds such a post with them.

His college profile also described him as an ‘honorary professor at Durham University in the Department of Sociology’.

How the Mail exposed the truth behind Professor Arday’s tale

Although Professor Arday previously held several roles at Durham, the Daily Mail revealed this week that he no longer has any ‘formal’ position there.

Cambridge said that there ‘remains a number of ongoing complaints regarding academic misconduct’ – believed to relate to his PhD – which it does not intend to examine as his doctorate was awarded by a separate university, Liverpool John Moores.

Its statement continued: ‘While we are fully aware of the public commentary and concerns around this matter, it remains vital that any process is thorough and adheres to both university policies and employment law.

‘We are aware that Jesus College, Cambridge, will be taking their own steps in relation to some of these matters.’