Embattled Professor Madonna Constantine, who last fall found a noose dangling from her office at Columbia’s Teachers College, insisted yesterday nobody she’s close to would be behind the racially charged incident.
The curt response came after The Post reported a grand jury had subpoenaed her university records – suggesting investigators want to know what she stood to lose over plagiarism charges swirling around her just as the noose was found.
Sources told The Post the review might have provided a motive for a friend to consider placing the hangman’s noose on Constantine’s door, thinking it could stir up support for one of only two female black tenured professors at the college.
At her Manhattan home – provided free as part of her contract – Constantine briskly dismissed that notion: “No one who is a friend of mine would do such a thing.”
Last month, Teachers College announced Constantine was responsible for two dozen incidents of stealing the work of a faculty member, and two more of plagiarizing her students. Constantine has denied the allegations.
A college spokeswoman, Marsha Horowitz, said Constantine is teaching two spring courses. She said the college had received a subpoena and “is complying with it.”
Constantine’s lawyer, Paul Giacomo Jr., did not return a call for comment.
Additional reporting by Murray Weiss