University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines was cleared of plagiarism after a yearlong, comprehensive review triggered by allegations from a conservative publication. The independent investigation examined Pines’s published works and issued a finding of no plagiarism. The probe followed public scrutiny and internal debate about academic standards; university officials said the review was exhaustive and intended to resolve questions about research integrity. Pines’s exoneration halts a high‑profile controversy but leaves lingering tensions among critics and supporters over transparency and standards for scholarly attribution. The outcome may affect faculty trust, external donor conversations, and institutional procedures for responding to public allegations about research conduct.