If Matthew Whitaker had been in the private sector he would have been fired. Instead since he is a government employee he gets paid $225,000 to quit.
The same thing recently happened to Valley Metro CEO Stephen Banta. Instead firing him he was give $260,000 to quit.
Stephen Banta was caught using our tax dollars for $2,000 dinners and $500 a night hotel rooms in Europe.
He then resigned before an article in the Arizona Republic came out exposing it all.
While I consider Matthew Whitaker a government crook who should have been fired, I suspect this incident is also an example of racism in Arizona government.
I suspect that if Matthew Whitaker had been WHITE he would not have been fired and the politicians and ASU officials would have looked the other way and done nothing.
ASU professor accused of plagiarism to resign, will get $200,000 in salary
Anne Ryman, The Republic | azcentral.com 9:59 p.m. MST January 15, 2016
Matthew Whitaker has been on paid leave since September while university officials investigated his conduct.
Professor is a well-known speaker and author
Will continue to get salary until May 2017
An Arizona State University professor who has been accused of plagiarism has agreed to resign but will continue to be paid more than $200,000 in salary over the next 16 months along with $25,000 in attorney fees.
Associate Professor Matthew Whitaker agreed to resign his tenured position effective May 17, 2017. During this time, he has no authority to act for or on behalf of ASU, according to a copy of his settlement agreement with the university. Whitaker earns $153,530 a year and will also receive employee benefits, such as health insurance, during this time.
It was unclear what duties, if any, Whitaker will have at the university in the interim. The settlement required that Whitaker remove all personal items from his office and return all university property.
ASU officials released a statement Friday, saying: "Dr. Whitaker has voluntarily resigned from his position as associate professor and co-director of the Center for Race and Democracy."
Officials said they would not comment beyond the statement.
Whitaker is a history professor, author and a well-known speaker whose specialties include African-American history, civil rights and race relations.
In 2011, 10 of Whitaker's colleagues at ASU reported concerns about plagiarism in some of his work. A university committee investigating the matter determined he had not committed "systematic or substantial plagiarism."
In June 2015, ASU demoted Whitaker, 44, from professor and director to associate professor and co-director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy following a second plagiarism-related incident. An ASU-commissioned investigation found plagiarism in his book, "Peace Be Still: Modern Black America From World War II to Barack Obama."
Earlier that year, Whitaker's company, the Whitaker Group, secured a $268,800 contract to provide cultural-awareness training to Phoenix police.
Whitaker terminated his contract to train Phoenix police officers after it was revealed that he was demoted at ASU.
In August, an investigation by Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio found that 52 of the 84 slides created for Phoenix police training were "exact copies or slides with just minor change" from Chicago police materials.
ASU placed Whitaker on leave in September while the university reviewed his conduct after the city of Phoenix demanded a refund of $21,900 from Whitaker's company.
Whitaker Group responded in a statement, saying any allegation that the company plagiarized or improperly used the Chicago police material was "patently false."
On Friday, Whitaker, in an e-mail to The Arizona Republic, said he would not comment about his resignation beyond a statement he shared on his Facebook page that said:
"As we embark upon a new year, I want to announce to my friends and supporters that I will be devoting my full efforts to teaching and working on behalf of racial healing, harmony, diversity and inclusion, through the auspices of The Whitaker Group, LLC, and my community service."
Reach the reporter at 602-444-8072 or anne.ryman@arizonarepublic.com.