Rachel Hardeman, known nationally for studying the effects of structural racism on mothers and children of color, had been accused internally of copying a protégé’s work and passing it off as her own. In documents and interviews, MPR News found the university chose not to discipline Hardeman despite reports from three colleagues that she copied the work of researcher Brigette Davis and used it in a federal grant application.
On April 10 2025, nearly a year after Widome filed her initial complaint, Davis went public with her accusations against Hardeman. She did so shortly after Jé Judson, who had also worked under Hardeman, shared a slideshow online highlighting the similarities between the documents.
Four days later, School of Public Health Dean Melinda Pettigrew emailed faculty to say Hardeman had resigned. Neither the U nor Pettigrew explained the departure. A spokesperson for Hardeman said that it had been planned for a year and was unconnected to the allegations.
More: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/04/28/university-minnesota-rachel-hardeman-plagiarism-allegations
