WVU business school dean resigns over scandal

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) The dean of West Virginia University’s College of Business and Economics is resigning in the wake of a scandal over a degree awarded to the governor’s daughter.
The school announced R. Stephen Sears’ departure Monday morning.
He is the second high-ranking academic officer to leave in the case, following the announcement Sunday that Provost Gerald Lang is resigning.
An investigating panel concluded last week that WVU administrators used severely flawed judgment last fall when they retroactively awarded a degree to Heather Bresch that she didn’t earn. Bresch is the daughter of West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin.

Copyright Associated Press 2008

WVU showed flawed judgment in awarding Gov.’s daugther a master’s degree

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) West Virginia University administrators showed “seriously flawed” judgment in awarding Gov. Joe Manchin’s daughter a master’s degree she didn’t earn, rushing to protect her and themselves from media scrutiny, a panel investigating the dispute says.
But the erroneous decision does not signal widespread or pervasive problems in either record-keeping or the granting of academic credits in the College of Business and Economics, its report concludes.
Failures of process and leadership were “unique to this particular, high-profile case” involving Mylan Inc. executive Heather Bresch, and there is no reason to question the legitimacy of any other executive master’s of business administration degrees that have been awarded.
After meeting in closed session Wednesday, the university’s Board of Governors issued a charge to President Mike Garrison, telling him to accept responsibility for errors in judgment and procedure made by members of his administration.
The board ordered him to deliver a plan by its June meeting that will ensure “a situation such as this does not ever happen again,” Chairman Stephen Goodwin said. It also called on him to inform Bresch of the panel’s findings and advise of her right to appeal. Her academic record, meanwhile, will revert to its original state.
Bresch issued a statement saying that while she continues to believe she did what was required to earn her degree, she will accept the panel’s conclusion out of respect for her alma mater.
“To put this issue behind us is the best course of action for everyone,” she said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. “Therefore, while I am not waiving my privacy rights, I will not challenge action by the university implementing the panel’s recommendations.”

Copyright Associated Press 2008

WVU academic investigation regarding Gov. Manchin’s daughter complete

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) West Virginia University’s chief academic officer has the results of an investigation into whether Gov. Joe Manchin’s daughter received a master’s degree she didn’t earn, but it’s unclear how soon that report will be made public.
Provost Gerald Lang said Monday he had received the report on Heather Bresch and her disputed executive master’s of business administration degree. The document now must be reviewed by the general counsel’s office to ensure it complies with federal privacy laws designed to protect students’ academic records, he said.
“We will move as quickly as possible to have the report to WVU’s Board of Governors,” Lang said. After that, the report will go to the 114-member Faculty Senate, then be made public.
Alex Macia, WVU’s vice president for legal affairs and general counsel, was out of state Monday and could not immediately be reached for comment.
Macia was believed to be in Michigan, where attorneys were taking the deposition of former football WVU coach Rich Rodriguez for the lawsuit over an unpaid $4 million buyout clause in his contract.
The committee that conducted the investigation will not comment on its report, said Roy Nutter, the panel’s chairman.
“The Panel will of course continue to be observant and will be watching the unfolding of future events,” Nutter said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Bresch, chief operating officer of Canonsburg, Pa.-based Mylan Inc., a generic drug producer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The investigating panel consisted of WVU professors Roy Nutter and Michael Lastinger, and three outside educators: Art Centonze, a dean emeritus of Pace University in New York; Lori Franz, former provost at the University of Missouri-Columbia; and John Burkoff, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
The group began its work in February, trying to determine not only whether Bresch had earned the required credits for her 1998 EMBA, but also how the university administration responded when questions about the validity of the degree arose last fall.
Bresch has significant political pull: The chairman of Mylan is a major benefactor of her father and WVU, and Bresch is a friend and former classmate of WVU President Mike Garrison.
But she has insisted she earned her degree fairly, substituting work experience for her final 10-credit semester with the blessing of then-program director Paul Speaker. She also recalls attending graduation and seeing her name in the program.
Speaker, however, says he does not recall ever allowing outside work to replace classroom work and told The Associated Press his requirements were strict.

Copyright Associated Press 2008