Amid allegations of plagiarism, Vice President for Communications Tommy Jackson has resigned from his position at UCA.

Jackson’s resignation is not effective until June 30, 2007, so he will continue to serve the university in a limited role, President Lu Hardin said Monday.

“Because Tommy Jackson is involved so much here at UCA, he will continue for a few months to be in a consulting capacity,” Hardin said. “[The resignation] is not immediate. He’s a valuable resource in several areas.”

According to a press release, Jackson will continue to work on “other university-related business” until his resignation in June.

Jackson was dismissed from his teaching position with the department of mass communication and theater in December after several packets of information were received alleging plagiarism on Jackson’s part in a weekly column he wrote for the Log Cabin Democrat. These packets were sent anonymously to several people, including Scot Morrissey, publisher of the Log Cabin Democrat, the UCA President’s Office and the mass communication department. They showed examples of his columns along with Web site information, much of which appeared to be used word for word in his columns without attribution.

“It’s historical facts,” Jackson said during a December interview with The Echo. “I use biographical information obtained from the Internet. I never dispute that I take things off the Internet.”

Jackson said he received no compensation for the weekly columns.

“[Dean Rollin] Potter and the chairman of the mass communication department don’t want me to teach anymore,” Jackson said in December. “I was told the termination was because of the plagiarism through President Hardin. I’m satisfied that is 100 percent accurate.”

In the December interview, Jackson said he was planning to sue the university due to his dismissal from the teaching position, and he would be seeking a “hefty amount” in damages.

“I feel like I’ve been tried, convicted and sentenced without jury,” Jackson said. “The last thing this university needs is another high-profile case since the soccer deal.”

Hardin said Monday he would never support any effort to sue UCA.

“I have not and would not seriously encourage anyone to sue this university. Period,” Hardin said. “Tommy Jackson is a friend of mine and he’s a good man. This is a personnel matter and I can’t comment on it – I just can’t.”

Hardin said because Jackson resigned instead of being fired, his personnel file was not open under the Freedom of Information Act.

“It’s unfortunate, but this is one I cannot comment on,” Hardin said. “Since he did resign, the file remains closed.”

Jack Gillean, vice president for administration, said university police were not called to escort Jackson off campus the day he resigned, despite several such rumors.

“No, that did not happen,” Gillean said.

Jackson was scheduled to teach two mass communication classes during the spring semester: beginning reporting and nonfiction writing.

“Someone went on a witch hunt,” Jackson said in December. “I’m pretty well known and I have an impeccable reputation in the community. I’m pretty popular with the students as well.

“It’s the perennial mountain out of a molehill. I think this will get nasty.”

Hardin said efforts were already underway to find Jackson’s replacement.

“I have been interviewing individuals for what will be the director of communications position,” Hardin said. “It will not be a full vice president’s position. It was previously a vice president’s position because of Tommy’s years of experience in the newspaper business.”

Hardin said he hopes to have an announcement of a new hire in the next two weeks.

Jackson did not return repeated phone calls from The Echo since the spring semester began.