March 2002: Letter 1

March 2002

With deepest regret, I must report a serious instance of plagiarism. The accompanying letter of former Iowa law student Sung Lim acknowledges that Mr. Lim presented as his own article the work of a student at another law school, and allowed the article to be published in the Journal of Corporation Law (JCL) while serving as the JCL's Editorin-Chief. The JCL has taken measures to remove the articles from on-line databases and to notify subscribers of the plagiarism.

The University of Iowa College of Law does not tolerate plagiarism. When the allegations against Mr. Lim came to my attention, I directed the JCL's faculty advisors to investigate the matter. They did so, and, having found cause, filed a formal complaint pursuant to the College's disciplinary procedures governing academic misconduct. A duly constituted disciplinary committee composed of both faculty and students resolved the matter appropriately in accordance with those procedures.

In all of its curricular and co-curricular programs, the University of Iowa College of Law expects all members of its professional community to conform to the highest standards of academic integrity. In those rare instances when academic misconduct is found to have occurred, the College will impose sanctions that reflect its continuing commitment to uphold the ideals of the academic and legal communities.