Maryland university president accused of dissertation plagiarism
A Daily Wire investigation has uncovered extensive plagiarism in the 1986 doctoral dissertation of Heidi M. Anderson, president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The allegations come amid a lawsuit from a former professor claiming racial discrimination under Anderson's leadership. Anderson has pledged an assessment of the claims.
Heidi M. Anderson, president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) since 2012, faces accusations of plagiarizing large portions of her 1986 Purdue University doctoral dissertation on computers in pharmaceutical education. A Daily Wire review identified uncredited copying from multiple sources, including a 1984 paper by nursing professor Donna E. Larson, where Anderson repurposed content by changing the field from nursing to pharmacy. Larson's name does not appear in Anderson's dissertation, though citations were lifted in sequence, excluding Larson's self-reference.
Further instances include verbatim sections from Robert M. Caldwell's 1984 work on medical schools, adapted without attribution; a summary of Christopher Evans' book copied from Richard E. Pogue's introduction; and significant stretches identical to David H. Jonassen's 1978 'Introduction to Instructional Media.' Anderson's additions featured gender-neutral language like 'his/her' and spelling errors such as 'judgement,' alongside a 1,000-word passage drawn from Caldwell and a 1973 introduction by Christopher R. Brigham and Martin Kamp. Her 'original' research involved a pre-programmed activity and borrowed questions, with the conclusion nearly identical to Elaine G. Boettcher's 1981 sentence: 'These findings suggest that CAI can be as effective and efficient as a more traditional instructional modality in teaching both factual content and application of learned material when both methods use the same instructional content.' The dissertation acknowledged funding from the Purdue University Black Doctoral Fellowship.
These revelations coincide with a July federal lawsuit by former UMES professor Donna Satterlee against the university and Anderson. Satterlee alleges a 'two-tier system of racial preferences,' claiming black faculty were hired based on race, paid more than qualified white and Asian colleagues, and took credit for their work. Specifics include dean Moses Kairo's preference for African nationals since 2012 and chair Grace Namwamba's alleged theft of Satterlee's master's program proposal after assigning her double the workload. Satterlee, the department's lowest-paid member, was denied promotion—her denial letter misspelling her name as 'Dr. Scatterlee'—and disciplined by the Office of Institutional Equity, led by Jason Casares, for 'bullying' and insubordination after correcting Namwamba's errors. She was placed on 'Transitional Terminal Leave,' which the suit argues exceeds the office's authority over tenured faculty. The lawsuit notes UMES's decline under Anderson, including loss of R2 research status; a response is due by October 10.
Satterlee told The Daily Wire: 'Heidi’s PhD has been obtained by fraud and by her passing off the work of other scholars as her own work. How can a university tell its students to be honest if its president is herself dishonest?' She urged Chancellor Jay Perman to fire Anderson. University System of Maryland spokesman Michael Sandler stated: 'We are aware of the allegations raised against President Anderson and are reviewing them with our policies. We will determine the next steps once that process is complete.' Anderson initially declined comment but later issued a statement: 'Recent allegations of plagiarism have been raised regarding my 1986 doctoral dissertation. Integrity, accountability, and trust are the foundations of my leadership and I take these concerns with the utmost seriousness. Consistent with University System of Maryland policy, there will be an assessment of these allegations… I am deeply grateful for the support of the UMES family during this period.' Anderson's post-dissertation research has been described as short and low-quality, published in obscure journals, yet she held prominent roles, including 2023 president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and first African American president of the Accreditation Council on Pharmaceutical Education.