The president of the University of Texas at Dallas will not fire an instructor who played a role in awarding "A" letter grades to law enforcement officers in graduate-level courses they never took.

Although Galia Cohen acted wrongly, she will avoid termination because she was following the orders of superiors, Richard Benson said in an April 4 letter to Cohen recently obtained by The Dallas Morning News.

In the letter, Benson said Cohen was not involved in the creation of the arrangement, a scandal one school administrator previously said may amount to academic fraud.

UTD had removed Cohen as associate director of the special law enforcement master's program after the school completed an inquiry in 2018.

Benson also took into account character references and personal hardships she endured, he wrote.

UTD is still seeking the firing of her superiors, Robert Taylor and John Worrall, for orchestrating the grading practices, said UTD spokesman John Walls. In February, The News published an investigation revealing allegations of misconduct inside the special UTD leadership program designed to help law enforcement officers move up the career ranks.

In a March letter to Benson obtained by The News, Cohen denied any misconduct and shifted blame to Taylor and Worrall. She said her trust of her bosses combined with her lack of experience in academia created a situation where she never suspected her actions were improper.

“I am collateral damage and paid a high price already,’’ Cohen wrote. “The damages to me cannot be undone, but they can be stopped with you.”

Richard Benson, University of Texas at Dallas president, told instructor Galia Cohen in an April 4 letter her actions were wrong. But he opted not to fire her, noting she acted at the behest of her superiors and endured recent personal hardships. (Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer)

The three instructors allowed students who had previously completed courses at two local police-training institutes to receive UTD credit and stellar grades without doing the university’s coursework, according to an investigation by the University of Texas system.

The News' story detailed how Taylor and Worrall set up the master's program nine years ago. Cohen used the grading arrangement as a recruiting tool and helped decide which students would receive credit despite not attending any classes, according to records.

Program leaders and instructors stood to personally benefit from recruiting students. Instructors were paid based on how many courses they taught. More students meant more money for program leaders and potentially more money for instructors.

Frank Hill, a lawyer who represents all three instructors, has repeatedly said they did nothing wrong. He declined to answer questions on behalf of his clients for this story, and he criticized The News' reporting as unfair without providing specifics.

In February, the instructors filed a federal lawsuit against the university. They allege UTD officials knew all along about the program and its operations and decided to push for firing the instructors only after learning The News would publish its report.

In July 2018, school provost Inga Musselman sent letters to Taylor, Worrall and Cohen stating allegations against them were serious enough for UTD to consider termination.

Although Musselman determined Cohen’s actions warranted termination proceedings, UTD spokesman Walls said Benson’s decision did not undercut his provost. Benson “simply chose a different course of action,” Walls said.

Walls also said he did not believe Benson’s decision sets a precedent, in which employees who commit misconduct at the behest of a superior in the future may not face punishment.

The UT system investigation found course credits were awarded in violation of UTD policy. Investigators said they did not find evidence of an intent to defraud students or that Worrall or Cohen continued the arrangement “based upon personal financial gain.”

Although UTD is not currently accepting students in the special law enforcement master’s program, no UTD official will say if the program will resume.

In his letter, Benson noted he received unsolicited feedback from “members of the community” who defended the program.

The News found more than 80 people graduated from the program, some of whom went on to become police chiefs in North Texas. It's unclear how many received "A" letter grades despite never going to class; some students interviewed said they attended every class and did their homework while others admitted to receiving top grades in courses they never attended.