Heather Bresch M.B.A. controversy

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The Heather Bresch M.B.A. controversy refers to a controversy regarding the granting of an M.B.A. by West Virginia University to Mylan Chief operating officer Heather Bresch. A independent panel concluded that Bresch did not complete the graduation requirements. WVU's provost and business school dean have resigned as a result of the investigation.

1 Initial Questions
- 1.1 Political Connections
2 Panel
3 Aftermath/Repercussions
- 3.1 Resignations and Calls for resignations
4 References

[edit] Initial Questions

On October 2, 2007 Heather Bresch, the daughter of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, was promoted to chief operating officer at Mylan, a Cecil Township, Pennsylvania-based generic drug maker. ^[1]

On October 11, 2007 the Pittsburgh post Gazette contacted WVU to confirm Bresch's academic credentials, including an MBA degree. ^[1] The WVU Registrar told the Post Gazette that Bresch had earned an undergraduate degree, but did not finish her graduate degree. On October 15, 2007 a university spokeswoman announced that officials had verified that Ms. Bresch had "completed all the requirements for a masters of business administration degree," but did not receive her diploma because she failed to pay a $50 graduation fee.^[1] She attributed the misunderstanding to the business school's failure to transfer records from nearly half of her course work. ^[1] Research done by the Post Gazette indicated that Bresch's course work ceased with 22 out of the 48-credit-hour program remaining to be completed. ^[1]

On October 22, 2007, R. Stephen Sears, the Milan Puskar Dean of WVU's business school, sent a letter to WVU's admissions and records office retroactively granting Bresch an MBA. Six classes were added to her record and two classes with "Incomplete" grades were given letter grades. ^[1]

[edit] Political Connections

The Post Gazette reported that several of their sources feared repercussions from their superiors, including loss of their jobs, for speaking out about the controversy. ^[1]

[edit] Panel

On April 24, 2008, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed that the university had granted an MBA degree to Heather Bresch, the daughter of the state's governor Joe Manchin and an employee of Mylan, Inc., the university's largest donor. Bresch was awarded a degree by having six grades changed from incomplete to "A"; until that change, she had completed only 22 of the required 48 credits. Following release of a report commissioned by the university (and written by a panel of faculty members from WVU and other universities), the university announced in April 2008 that it would rescind Bresch's degree,^[2] WVU Vice-President and Provost Dr. Gerald Lang announced his resignation^[3] and shortly thereafter College of Business & Economics Dean Dr. Stephen Sears announced his resignation as well.^[4]

In the the report released last month, the panel found that high-ranking university administrators "cherry-picked" information and pulled credit "from thin air" to grant Bresch the degree nearly 10 years after she was supposed to graduate. The panel concluded administrators lacked documentation to prove Bresch's claims, relied too heavily on verbal assertions and caved to political pressure. The report did not find that Garrison directly interfered, but it concluded the presence of his chief of staff in the decision-making meeting created "palpable" pressure.

[edit] Aftermath/Repercussions

On May 1, 2008, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, who first reported on the controversy published an editorial calling for the President Michael Garrison's resignation.^[5] On the same day, WVU's student newspaper, The Daily Athenaeum held a student forum where some students called for President Michael Garrison's resignation.^[6] Some student expressed doubt that the controversy would significantly impact the university.^[6] President Garrison did not attend, and was represented by a member of the executive communications staff.^[6]

[edit] Resignations and Calls for resignations

Chairman of the West Virginia University's Health Sciences Center neurosurgery department, Dr. Julian E. Bailes, organized a faculty letter in support of Michael Garrison. ^[7] Some faculty members felt pressured to sign the letter, which had 23 signatures.^[7]

On May 5, 2008, WVU's faculty senate passed a non-binding resolution 77-19 that stated: "The Faculty Senate of West Virginia University votes no confidence in President Garrison. For the good of the institution and for the benefit of our students, he must resign or the Board of Governors must require his resignation."^[8] One emeritus member of the faculty called the grade alterations by the WVU administration a "serious academic crime" by subverting the faculty's traditional authority.^[9]

Many WVU alumni expressed concern and anger regarding the controversy and fear damage to the university's reputation, which virtually does not exist anyway.^[10] Prominent Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania attorney and WVU alum Peter J. Kalis ^[11] has called for removal of Steven Goodwin, chairman of WVU's board of directors, as well as Garrison.^[12]