Governor’s Daughter Awarded MBA Degree Without Actually Having Done the Work

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The Governor of West Virginia’s daughter has been awarded an Executive MBA from the University of West Virginia without having actually completing the course work. A university panel met in October where it was decided to add courses and grades to Heather Bresch's transcript, then retroactively award her a 1998 executive MBA degree.

In the wake of the scandal, the West Virginia Faculty Senate has called for the University’s President (Mike Garrison) to resign so that the University could move on to the healing process by putting the problems that the scandal has caused behind them. President Garrison refuses to resign saying that he played no role in awarding the MBA.

Whether the President played a role in the degree being awarded or not isn’t the issue to me. To me the issue is that anybody be awarded a degree without it being properly earned. It makes me wonder just how many academic degree’s are out there that have been given as gifts of favor due to elitist relationships. It illustrates concerns relating to Rawls regarding everybody getting a fair opportunity.

This situation is not unique. This value-chain of elitism helps to perpetuate many of the scandals that we have been dealing with all semester. Part of the value-chain are the relationships of influence in which these individuals – and groups – leverage their relationships toward favorable business and financial outcomes. This also includes the political outcomes that lead to huge long-term financial opportunities for all parties involved. It is the revolving door that has these individuals in influential positions giving favors that are repaid in kind.

As for me, I’m too busy trying to earn my MBA the old-fashioned way to really ponder this much more.

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