The Vice Dean of University of Pennsylvania mislead his employer stating he received his doctoral degree from Colombia University. Hit the jump for the full story.
Daily Mail – A University of Pennsylvania vice dean has resigned after it was revealed that he did not receive a doctoral degree from Colombia
University as he had claimed.
Doug Lynch had been placed on leave on Wednesday from his post as vice dean of the Ivy League school’s Graduate School of Education but handed in his resignation yesterday.
He had listed earning his PhD on his resume and had held a top position at the university since 2004.
But some faculty and staff learned months ago that Lynch never received his doctorate from Columbia University in 2007, according the Philadelphia Inquirer.
He also claimed to have received a master’s degree from the university in 2005 – which he did not actually obtain until 2010, according to Colombia officials.
They added that Lynch had entered a doctoral program but had yet to complete it – although a UPenn faculty website repeatedly referred to him as Dr. Lynch.
Once the allegations came to light, the university at first said it had sanctioned Lynch while allowing him to stay in his position.
But school officials later announced he had been placed on leave when the Inquirer sought comment from university President Amy Gutmann.
Kat Stein, a spokeswoman for the graduate school, said Lynch was unaware he did not have the degree. ‘He mistakenly believed that it was complete,’ she told the Inquirer.
The university said in a statement that it now considers the matter closed.
