Panel: Governor's daughter didn't earn degree

updated 11:17 a.m. ET April 24, 2008

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - High-ranking academic officers at West Virginia University awarded the daughter of the state's governor a master's degree she didn't earn, a report has concluded.

President Mike Garrison said late Wednesday it's unclear whether disciplinary action should be taken against the individuals who showed "seriously flawed" judgment  by ordering a change in the academic records of Heather Bresch, daughter of Gov. Joe Manchin.

"West Virginia University is strong, and this process — and our honest response to it, both from our office and the board of governors — makes us stronger, and shows that we are a university whose governance is both shared and open," he said.

A panel led by two WVU faculty members issued a damning report Wednesday that said there was no academic foundation for retroactively granting Bresch a 1998 executive master's of business administration degree.

'Erroneous result'
"Mistake was compounded by mistake. An unnecessary rush to judgment, spurred in some measure by an understandable desire to protect a valued alumna and to respond to media pressure, produced a flawed and erroneous result," the panel concluded.

The report does not conclude that Bresch did anything wrong in seeking clarification of her academic record. Nor does it directly fault Garrison, Bresch's longtime friend.

It does suggest there was pressure from Gerald Lang, WVU's chief academic officer, and "representatives of the president's office" to accommodate Bresch.

The decision to grant Bresch the degree was made during an Oct. 15, 2007 meeting of Lang, College of Business & Economics dean R. Stephen Sears, three business school educators and three university administrators, including the university's attorney.

'Pressure'
The investigative panel determined that when Lang asked those attending the meeting about granting the degree to Bresch "the actual or perceived pressure to go along with this decision, not to 'rock the boat,' was palpable."

Lang and Sears defended their conduct, saying they made the best decision possible with incomplete data. Lang declined to say whether he disagrees with the findings of the investigative panel.

Sears said the business school will take several steps to refine its procedures, including hiring a records assistant.

Bresch recently argued she'd earned her degree fairly, substituting work experience for her final semester. However, her program adviser at the time, Paul Speaker, told The Associated Press he did not recall ever allowing outside work to replace classroom work.

Bresch said she is moving on.

"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."

Bresch's academic record will revert to its original state. A master's degree is not required for her job as chief operating officer of Mylan Inc., a generic pharmaceutical company based in Pittsburgh.

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