Dr. Peter J. Alfonso, associate provost for research at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro since 1999, was named UT’s associate vice president for research, the chief research officer for UT Knoxville in spring 2001. On January 18, 2002, Alfonso was placed on administrative leave because of an internal investigation for misuse of university computing equipment. Routine maintenance on Alfonso’s computer indicated the presence of pornographic materials, and the investigation showed visits to websites labeled as pornographic. Alfonso stated that the activity on the computer was not his.
On October 1, 2002, Alfonso became vice president for research at the University of North Dakota, and he became vice president for research and academic development at the University of Rhode Island in 2007.