A professor of ethnic studies who was accused of falsely claiming to be Native American has decided to resign from the University of California Riverside in the coming year, according to records.
Andrea Smith, a tenured professor, and the university have reached a separation agreement that refers to “a complaint signed by 13 faculty members alleging that Professor Smith has made fraudulent claims to Native American identity in violation of the Faculty Code of Conduct provisions concerning academic integrity.”
The institution did not conduct a formal investigation despite noting the complaint’s filing last year, and no conclusions about the claims were reached.
According to the terms of the separation agreement, Smith “denies and disputes all allegations contained in the Complaint.
According to university spokesman John Warren, “the nine-page separation agreement will bring a negotiated end to Professor Smith’s employment with the university.”
Warren refused to release the faculty’s complaint, stating that “It’s up to the signers to identify themselves.”
Despite the fact that the contract was finalized in January, Smith will continue to work for the institution until August 2024, after which she will leave.
Smith is still competent to instruct “all university courses” until that time. On the UCR website, she is noted as being “on sabbatical.”
According to the agreement, Smith will be qualified to retire as an emerita professor and receive UC benefits after her resignation date.
Another California professor who claimed to be Native American offered an apology earlier this year.
According to Elizabeth Hoover, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, she was raised believing she was Mohawk on her mother’s side and Mi’kmaq on her father’s, but she later executed genealogical research and discovered no proof of tribal citizenship for any of her ancestors. At UC Berkeley, Hoover is still a professor.
