Noose Incident Prof Fired Over Plagiarism Allegations

June 24, 2008— -- A Columbia University professor, who gained national attention last year when a noose was found hanging from her door, has been fired over unrelated plagiarism allegations.

A spokesman for the university's Teachers College said the school's faculty was notified Monday that Madonna Constantine had been terminated, after her appeal of the plagiarism charges was rejected.

Constantine was under investigation for allegedly plagiarizing another professor's work before the noose incident.

Bill Anderson, the spokesman, said Constantine, a tenured professor who has written extensively about race relations, had the right to challenge the school's decision.

Constantine's attorney, Paul Giacomo, said she had until July 15 to decide whether to challenge the decision. He said that Constantine denied all the university's allegations that she had plagiarized.

The plagiarism investigation began in 2006. Last October, a noose was discovered hanging on Constantine's office door. The incident, which is being investigated by police as a potential hate crime, provoked outrage among students and faculty.

Giacomo claimed that the school was trying to get rid of the "radioactive" professor after discovery of the noose brought the school notoriety.

The New York City Police Department continues to investigate the incident, but has not named a suspect. A department spokesman said there had been no new leads in the case.