Independent Investigations In Higher Education

Colleges and universities are increasingly finding themselves embroiled in high profile controversies over allegations of serious misconduct by their staff or students, and many are now opting to commission independent investigations to find the facts and resolve those controversies. Recent examples include the independent investigation into Penn State's handling of the Jerry Sandusky scandal; the review of the University of Virginia's sexual assault policies and procedures after the later retracted Rolling Stone article about an alleged gang rape on campus; and the authors' investigation into allegations of academic irregularities involving student athletes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).