Professor Who Forged Offer Letter Reaches Plea Deal

Bryan Thomas for The Chronicle

Brian McNaughton, the former Colorado State University professor who was charged with a felony for fabricating a job offer to secure a pay raise, reached a plea deal this week that will allow his case to be dismissed in a year if he remains law abiding and completes 100 hours of community service.

Under the agreement, McNaughton pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant, a crime punishable by up to six years in prison. He was granted a deferred sentence, however, making him eligible to withdraw his guilty plea in a year if he complies with the terms of the deal. In addition to community service, McNaughton must complete a “cognitive thinking class.”

McNaughton declined to comment on the plea deal.

During his tenure at Colorado State, McNaughton forged a job-offer letter from the University of Minnesota, a scheme designed to secure a counteroffer from Colorado State. The ruse was successful at first, but McNaughton was forced to resign this past spring after university officials learned of his deception.

The details of McNaughton’s fabricated offer, which had been kept quiet, were made public in July after he was criminally charged. As a result, McNaughton lost a faculty position at the University of Delaware, where he was slated to begin teaching this fall.

An article published this week about McNaughton’s case was the The Chronicle’s most-widely-read news story of the summer. It provoked an intense and varied reaction from readers on social media, who expressed empathy for McNaughton’s disillusionment with the academic workplace and outrage over his ethical breach.

Jack Stripling covers college leadership, particularly presidents and governing boards. Follow him on Twitter @jackstripling, or email him at jack.stripling@chronicle.com.