Weekly Briefing: Stanford's president steps down over research-misconduct accusations

Months of reporting by students at "The Stanford Daily" led this week to the resignation of President Marc Tessier-Lavigne of Stanford University. ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. A president steps down over research-misconduct accusations (Fernanda is off this week; I’m Heidi Landecker, writing in her place.) Gotta love those student journalists. These hard-working unsung reporters are finally having their day, thanks to a team at The Stanford Daily, whose months of reporting led this week to the resignation of President Marc Tessier-Lavigne of Stanford University. The Daily first[drew attention]( to alleged image manipulation on papers co-written by Tessier-Lavigne, a neuroscientist who studies Alzheimer’s disease; the newspaper then raised questions about the[president’s response]( to the allegations. In November 2022, the Daily [reported]( on concerns from scientists about certain images in several of Tessier-Lavigne’s papers from the early 2000s. “A prominent research journal has confirmed to the Daily that it is reviewing a paper co-authored by University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne for scientific misconduct following public allegations that the research contains multiple altered images,” Theo Baker, a freshman, wrote. [Questions]( about photos of the results of Tessier-Lavigne’s experiments first began appearing online in 2015, when the scientist was president of Rockefeller University, in New York. He became president of Stanford in 2016. After the Daily article appeared, Stanford’s Board of Trustees appointed a special committee and hired a law firm to review the concerns. The president responded to the Daily with a letter to the faculty in December 2022. “The specific images that are being queried are from collaborators’ laboratories,” he wrote, adding that he took “responsibility for any concerns that arise with respect to any work with which I have been involved.” He took an [unusual approach]( [vocally defending his actions]( criticizing the student newspaper, and casting himself as a faculty member first and president second. Tessier-Lavigne’s resignation, on Wednesday, came two days after the special committee released the [results of its investigation](. When the scientist learned about the problems in his papers, he didn’t always seek to correct them quickly and persistently, the investigative panel wrote. Senior scientists need to “demonstrate an appropriate appetite” for correcting the scientific record, the report says, or the self-correcting mechanisms of science will fail from within. The president will step down on August 31 and become a member of the biology faculty, with tenure. Baker, the student reporter who led the investigation and is now a rising sophomore, won a prestigious Polk Award for his stories. [Read more from our Francie Diep](. ADVERTISEMENT NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. Lagniappe - Read. Peter Hessler describes the [education of his 8-year-old twins in China](. (The New Yorker) - Watch. [Rough Diamonds]( is a TV series about the return of a prodigal child to his Orthodox Jewish family, diamond merchants in Amsterdam. [Disobedience]( is a movie about the return of a prodigal child to her Orthodox Jewish family, rabbis in London. Spoiler: A patriarch dies in both. Otherwise, they’re completely different. (Netflix) - Feeling blue? [Chris Rock: Selective Outrage,]( the comedian’s take on the Kardashians, his mother, and Will Smith can only help. (Netflix) —Heidi SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Chronicle Top Reads OUTSOURCING INSTRUCTION [Millions of Students a Year Are Required to Buy Courseware. Often, It Replaces the Professor.]( By Taylor Swaak [STORY IMAGE]( Full of features that can substitute for teaching and largely unregulated, the technology is ripe for misuse. THE REVIEW | OPINION [I Was President of Florida’s New College. Then I Was Fired.]( By Patricia Okker [STORY IMAGE]( Here’s how to fight for academic freedom — and prevent political meddling. THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Howard Zinn and the Politics of Popular History]( By Nick Witham [STORY IMAGE]( The controversial historian drew criticism from both left and right. We need more like him today. 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