I think this morning was the second time I heard someone from WVU refer to the investigation into whether or not Heather Bresch earned an eMBA a “cold case.”
Looks like someone came up with a talking point!
This isn’t a cold case, people. D.B. Cooper is cold case. It’s not like this will only be “solved” 20 years from now when some random hiker at Coopers Rock accidentally finds himself pissing on Heather Bresch’s long lost academic records. I do not believe for a minute that all traces of someone attending a university vanish after 10 years.
One theory about all this suggests that Heather’s friends at WVU initially tried to play this thing of as, well — can you prove that she didn’t earn an eMBA? If not, give it to her.
And sometimes I get the impression that that’s the standard the investigative panel is operating under, too: if they can’t prove she didn’t earn the degree, then she must be telling the truth, right?
Well guess what, reader: I can’t prove there’s no Tooth Fairy, either. But that doesn’t mean there is one.
I really hope people won’t stand for that.
Tags: Heather Bresch, Heathergate
January 14, 2008 at 10:08 am
Since Lang is pushing the “life credit” idea…
1. You can get credits for life experience, but only for a limited list of courses, and only if you take the CLEP test and get a specified score on the test. See here: http://www.arc.wvu.edu/admissions/college_credit.html and here:
http://www.arc.wvu.edu/admissions/CLEP_program.html. Several courses are on the list which might qualify for the EMBA, but of course Heather didn’t take the CLEPs in October 2008. In addition, under Board of Trustees rules, you cannot ask for CLEPs once you’ve enrolled.
2. This is an Executive MBA. Everyone in the program is working as an executive. Everyone in the program has lots of relevant life experience. No one else gets 22 special credits for dropping out.
This sounds more like those ads in the back of magazines offering a PhD for life experience. We used to call these mail order degrees.
WVU is better than this. Lang should be ashamed.
January 14, 2008 at 10:14 am
Sears said flat out to Bray Cary that his mindset was to err on the side of the student’s word. Another question somebody needs to ask — was Heather Bresch asked to provide any documentation to back up her claim? Was she asked whether or not she still had any records of her own to support her claim? Lang said this morning on WVPR that Bresch will have to “interact with the panel” that is investigating — did she interact with Sears et al during their inquiry?
January 14, 2008 at 10:57 am
Now Bray goes on Hoppy’s show making fun of “conspiracy theorists” equating it with the Kennedy assassination.
January 14, 2008 at 11:21 am
Hell, if she won’t show the public her transcript, maybe she’ll at least show THEM the physical evidence she should have in hand.
January 14, 2008 at 11:45 am
The Charleston Gazette has an editorial on this mess this morning: http://wvgazette.com/section/Opinion/Editorials/2008011111
January 14, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Maybe Joe doesn’t know whether Heather faked her own degree or not. My parents wouldn’t know whether I faked mine or not. Of course, they would probably ask me to tell the truth. On a side note, good for WVU going more Green and at least claiming to give a sh**t about the environment. Most people in the rest of the state see supporting environmentally friendly cost saving procedures as going directly against the best interests and profits of Friends of Coal and the John Amos Power Plant. Glad to see WVU and Joe himself leading the charge to go more Green. (He must have figured out the only way he’s going to advance in the national political scene is to change his cheerleading of WV Coal is the Answer to WV Clean Coal is the Answer. At least he’s learning out in the world.
January 14, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Too bad “WV Clean Coal” is not the answer. It just extends things a little longer, but like corn-ethanol, it’ll be more of a money-waster than a long term solution.
January 14, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Also, did you see in George Hohmann’s column in the Gazette-Mail yesterday (anyone have link?) that Joe and Jay Rockefeller are becoming BFF’s? And Mojo is cheerleading for a “goal of getting the state independent of foreign oil by 2030.” (Well, that’s what it says he says.) And that Joe flat out told Jay’s international “Future Fuels Corporation” think tank symposium that “during (Manchin’s) November Trade Mission to China, he told top leaders of the Communist Party, ‘Why don’t you partner with companies in WV, invest in technology here, so the rest of the world will see you are serious?’” (Well, that’s what it says he says he said. What do you think?) And we thought it was all Chinese Fashion shows and Factoids about the Great Wall of China from Friends of Coal. Who actually PAYS for these trade missions?
January 14, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Hohmann also says “It is apparent that the teamwork displayed” by Joe and Jay during their 2005 trade mission to Japan is ongoing. And we thought it was all sushi and karaoke by Friends of Coal. And, Hohmann reports Manchin said Thursday at the 35th annual Mining Symposium sponsored by the WV Coal Association that “he views coal as a national security issue. He has repeatedly sait it is dangerous for the US to be so dependent on oil from unfriendly countries.” Then, in classic Joe fashion, he claims a us service person recently asked him, “How can you expect us to win if we’re paying both sides?” Then, Rockefeller, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters later the same day that he understands Manchin’s concern. Hmmmmm…..I think I know where this is going………..
January 14, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Ah, the Daily Mail. There’s so much opportunity for some quality journalism — there’s a nifty, complicated scandal brewing at the state’s “flagship” university, the Supremes effectively ended that teacher pension case, and a local city just “lost” over a million bucks. So what’s the headline (at least online)?
“Behind the scenes with the Rough N Rowdy ring girls”
Nice.
January 14, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Heather Bresch should have been a rough and rowdy ring girl.
January 14, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I heard the homecoming queen won rough and rowdy? True?
January 14, 2008 at 6:52 pm
I’d like for us to get back on topic. Have we found out what was told to WVU’s Faculty Senate today?
January 14, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Yeah, I bet that was an interesting meeting today.
The DA probably had someone there.
January 14, 2008 at 8:35 pm
The Eberly chairs… hmmmm
http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Breaking/000001405
January 14, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Hippie Killer, I can’t believe you haven’t posted on the MetroNews story that Caperton Energy is alleging that Spike Maynard and Don Blankenship vacationed together in Europe.
January 14, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Wow. WVU faculty senate still has some balls and hasn’t been completely cowed into submission. Maybe there’s some hope after all.
PPG says the vote was 46-34 in favor of removing Flack.
January 14, 2008 at 9:02 pm
http://post-gazette.com/pg/08014/849159-100.stm
January 14, 2008 at 9:36 pm
A great moment for the faculty senate. Proud to be a Mountaineer.
January 14, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Lawbot said “Ah, the Daily Mail. There’s so much opportunity for some quality journalism…”
Not when the editorial staff says “Mike Garrison seems to have his priorities right as president”
http://www.dailymail.com/Opinion/Editorial/200712050138
and praises Joe Manchin for his fiscal responsibility as governor
http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Opinion/Editorials/200801119
Somebody remind the Daily Mail it’s supposed to be the “opposition” newspaper.
January 14, 2008 at 10:32 pm
The editorial in the DM does not say that — it says “While it is still too early to judge the success of Garrison’s presidency at WVU, he does seem to be off to a good start. He has the right priority in seeking to improve its standing among – as they say in academia – peer institutions.” Let’s try to keep the debate honest. And since the MBA thing is about accountability, maybe the bloggers should use their real names so that they are accountable. I must add, Way to go WVU Senate; you are doing the right thing!
January 14, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Accountable for what?
January 14, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Forget Metronews. The New York Times has a story on Maynard and Blankenship.
HREF=”http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/us/15court.html?_r=2&ref=us&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
January 15, 2008 at 12:15 am
“maybe the bloggers should use their real names so that they are accountable”
LMAO.
Sure.
Whatever.
I wasn’t born yesterday, slick.
January 15, 2008 at 3:41 am
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January 15, 2008 at 4:06 am
Heather — at what point do you come to realize that you are spending your father’s political capital? You are dragging the Manchin name through the mud and this will sure to be an issue during the next election cycle.
Sam B. Nadler, Jr. — This “MBA thing” you refer to is really not a debate. A “debate” would give credence to the view that a degree was appropriately awarded based on satisfactory completion of coursework. Ms. Bresch did not earn nor receive her degree legitimately.
It’s obvious from the in-state press coverage that many people fear retribution for speaking out. However, this blog and the ability to comment anonymously is an avenue for the masses to keep this story alive and progessing towards an appropriate outcome.
It’s sad that all these well paid, highly educated people are spending time on this because of the actions of one person. Surely there are more pressing issues for the University Administration and others involved.
January 15, 2008 at 6:32 am
Accountable?
And your real name is Sam B. Nadler, Jr. like my real name is George W. Bush.
But I guess it would make things simpler for the big wheels in the Head Shed (aka Stewart Hall) if people identified themselves on this blog so that retribution would be easier. Who has time to deal with all these leaks with the full time work of presiding over WVU’s decline to glorified vo-tech school status?
January 15, 2008 at 8:13 am
Saw Manchin on PBS last night, the show? Legislature today I think. He talked about not knowing about this until late into the process.
I thought he was going OkState coach on us for a minute, I’m a man…go after me…blah, blah, blah. She is a woman of a decent age and she can fend for her self.
I think if she really graduated she would have made a typical Manchin production of it. Come to the graduation ceremony, with champagne and finger food after.
This is soooo going to hurt them when it is over!
January 15, 2008 at 9:35 am
Sam,
My name is Bill -not that it means a whole hell of a lot -unless you sound like Neil Diamond. Not sure if that helps with your need for accountability, but there you go.
January 15, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Ok, Sam, we come clean. The real identities of sweet and Sour are Emma Peel and John Steed.
January 15, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Ha! You wish you were me. FYI, A Modern Guy at the Purple Moon blog has an account of the goings on between RRS, the Government Organization Committee and the crowd yesterday. At http://amodernguy@wordpress.com. It’s the current post Archives, Food and the Commissioner.
January 15, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Another filegate to investigate at WVU:
…. According to the source, the missing files include all of the players’ personal files, which encompass contact information, scholarship money awarded, class attendance records and personal conduct records, the Gazette reported. …
According to the report, multiple sources said several people in the Puskar Center reported seeing Rodriguez and at least one of his assistants, video coordinator Dusty Rutledge, in Rodriguez’s private office shredding paperwork on Dec. 18 — the day he returned from Ann Arbor after being named Michigan’s new head coach. Those who say they witnessed the action said they either paid it no mind or did not know what was being destroyed, according to the report. ….
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3197764
January 15, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Sam, the DM editorial may not say that, but that’s sure what they put in the headline. Is the newspaper not “accountable” for their own words?
January 15, 2008 at 8:16 pm
I note that the link above goes directly to the editorial but at
http://www.dailymail.com/Opinion the headline reads
“WVU to improve its other rankings
Mike Garrison seems to have his priorities right as president”
That’s what I was quoting.
January 17, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Happy the students are back. The articles and especially the editorial in the DA this morning are the best so far. After all is said and done, it’s the students who are most affected by this.
Wonder how much the press is pushing Heather Bresch for interviews, etc?
January 17, 2008 at 3:31 pm
can anyone provide the link to the editorial in the DA Karen mentions above?
February 10, 2008 at 9:52 pm
There are rumors that the “panel” will be required to sign an oath of secrecy. This smacks of what was heard about the selection committee for the WVU president. There nobody can talk about the the proceedings, going far beyond what is required to protect the identity of applicants. The “transparent” process was anything but that because ot it. No one knows how so an unqualified as Garrison made the short list because we don’t know the “rules” that the selection committee had to follow. Same could be true with the “panel”, particularly if they are “steered” or are forbidden to ask or look in certain places. The senate resolution called for no a priori assumptions to be made, and I believe the intention was to allow the committee to go where they may. Certain the federal privacy of students law has to be respected, but let us hope it is not a mask for denying true transparency of the process.
February 11, 2008 at 12:41 am
If there’s any of that stuff, I’m sure the PPG will get the scoop from the Pitt guy on the panel, and they’ll print the appropriate amount of outrage, since no newspaper down here will touch this whole mess.