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National Science Foundation Conducts Review of University of Michigan’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering’s Title IX Compliance
The National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent federal agency that provides research grants for science and engineering, is conducting a review of the University of Michigan’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) compliance with Title IX regulations.
CSE has faced allegations of sexual misconduct against several of its faculty members since 2023, including former professors Peter Chen and Walter Lasecki and current professor Jason Mars. Chen was charged with criminal sexual conduct in the first degree in 2023 but was found not guilty by a Washtenaw County jury and has since returned to teaching. Lasecki resigned from his position in August 2023 after an investigation by The Michigan Daily exposed multiple allegations of sexual harassment against him. In 2023, Mars was accused of sexually inappropriate behavior by employees of Clinc, an AI start-up he founded with his wife and fellow CSE professor Lingjia Tang.
The NSF began conducting interviews with CSE faculty and administrators from the Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX office in Tuesday. The agency will evaluate and assess the university’s nondiscrimination policies and procedures related to Title IX, grievance, and discrimination complaint processes and the role of the Title IX Coordinator in implementing and enforcing Title IX requirements. The NSF will also evaluate whether the university’s procedures provide for the prompt and equitable resolution of Title IX complaints and whether there is compliance with the notification and dissemination requirements of Title IX.
Compliance Review May Influence Future NSF Funding of the University of Michigan
The University of Michigan received over $112 million of the university’s $1.71 billion in research spending in 2023 from the NSF. According to NSF spokesperson Michelle Negron, documented allegations of misconduct may influence the agency’s decision to investigate Title IX compliance. A compliance review is not an investigation of allegations of discrimination or harassment but a higher-level program review to determine whether there is any non-compliance with the NSF’s Title IX regulations. The NSF conducts two on-site compliance reviews per year and works closely with universities to enact corrective measures if their review process discovers noncompliance with Title IX regulations. If a university fails to address such concerns, the NSF may withhold future funding.
University of Michigan Pledges Full Cooperation with the NSF
The University of Michigan was first notified of the compliance review in May 2023 and welcomes the review, pledging its full cooperation, according to university spokesperson Rick Fitzgerald. The NSF works with other universities that have areas of concern, and Negron stated that the agency has successfully worked with others in the past.
