Controversies about former Richmond Police Chief Rodney D. Monroe's degree and a research agreement with Philip Morris USA warrant further scrutiny, Virginia Commonwealth University President Eugene P. Trani said last night.

Trani said he was saddened by the two recent incidents that have brought the university unfavorable news coverage.

He said "a compelling factor" behind the VCU board of visitors' decision Friday not to revoke Monroe's degree was a university policy that needs to be re-examined.

That policy allows for only "a very narrow reason for revocation of a degree" -- and that is, academic misconduct must occur before the degree is awarded.

"In effect, we would have had to violate another policy because [one] policy was violated," said Trani, speaking by phone from Boston, where he is on sabbatical this summer.

He said the university will examine the policy to determine if it is too narrowly constructed, but Trani said he stands by the board of visitors' decision to let Monroe keep his bachelor of interdisciplinary studies degree because there was no evidence of misconduct on the part of Monroe, who became police chief in Charlotte, N.C., this month.

Monroe received six credit hours at VCU. Under university policy, 25 percent of a student's credit hours must be taken at VCU to receive a degree, meaning Monroe should have received 30 credit hours from VCU.

Before Monroe was awarded his degree in 2007, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that he had taken only two courses at VCU. Asked why that did not raise any red flags, Trani said, "I do not know the answer to that. . . . Somebody probably should have said something."

Trani reiterated last night that he had no involvement other than to say the possibility of Monroe getting his degree from VCU would be "a great idea." Trani said in a statement Friday that he now is "more aware than ever that an enthusiastic, energetic president with lots of ideas may, however inadvertently, impact the behavior of others."

But he pointed out last night that Monroe, who needed 120 credit hours for his degree, had earned 121 hours.

"These are not fabricated hours," Trani said. "Many of the hours were obtained online from the University of Phoenix." Monroe also completed course work at the FBI Academy.

"Clearly, there is concern," said Trani, when asked what reaction the Monroe case had brought in the academic community.

But he said that as part of its investigation, the university has examined 16,000 degrees awarded since 2003, and no similar case was found.

"This is not a systemic problem," he said.

On the Philip Morris controversy, Trani said a task force he appointed will hold two open town-hall meetings in July. The meetings will be held on the MCV and Monroe Park campuses to discuss the university's relationship with outside companies.

A New York Times article in May on VCU's research agreement with the cigarette giant called it "highly unusual" and "extremely restrictive."

VCU staff members are researching data on nitrogen and phosphorus runoff into rivers and on the onset of lung disease for Philip Morris under one of a half-dozen research services agreements the university has with corporations, Francis Macrina, the school's vice president for research, has said.

Those agreements allow companies to review any proposed publication of research to protect patent and intellectual property rights.

VCU's task force will give Trani its report in October.

He said he appointed the task force even though he believes the Times article "treated us unfairly."
Contact Karin Kapsidelis at (804) 649-6119 or kkapsidelis@timesdispatch.com.