Dive Brief:
- Wright State University has fired its provost and two senior leaders following an investigation into revelations that the university sponsored more H-1B visa holders than it employed.
- The Dayton Business Journal reports that the university also announced a federal investigation into criminal misuse of the visa program, which allows employers in the United States to sponsor highly skilled foreign workers.
- Wright State learned of the allegations in February and placed four university employees on paid leave in mid-March before firing three of them this week.
Dive Insight:
Foreign workers often find it hard to secure employment from companies or institutions willing to sponsor them through the visa process. It is costly and requires additional paperwork. The allegations here indicate the provost, his senior advisor, and the head of the university’s International Gateway Program sponsored visas for foreign workers who then gained employment elsewhere.
In situations such as this, it often behooves institutions to get ahead of any outside investigations. Wright State’s reputation will probably benefit from its swift internal investigation and ensuing termination decisions. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recently announced its own email scandal that implicated the provost and led to her resignation before outside reporting could beat them to it.