Globe: MIT Dean Who Lied on Resume 'Deserves Credit, Straightforward, Brave, Commendable'

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

ESPN's Chris Berman likes to say "no one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills." He might add "or the Boston Globe." Its editorial of today, A telling admission, heaps of paeans of praise on Marilee Jones, who resigned her position as MIT Dean of Admissions after an investigation revealed that she earned none of the academic degrees she had claimed.

The Globe quickly gets out of the way its acknowledgement that "no doubt, Marilee Jones did the wrong thing." But you'd hardly know it from the rest of editorial:

• "I misrepresented my academic degrees when I first applied to MIT 28 years ago," she said in a statement, "and did not have the courage to correct my resume when I applied for my current job or at any time since." Admitting to that lack of courage means being brave enough to be oneself, even if one is short on credentials but long on potential.
• She deserves credit for her straightforward apology.
• This forthright admission stands in contrast to others who have denied, delayed, or justified. Last year, David Edmondson, chief executive of RadioShack, said he planned to stay in his job even after it was revealed that he had not earned two college degrees listed on his resume. Days later he resigned.
• Jones has had to face her own messy truth. She has done so in a commendable way.

The Globe comes close to excusing others who tell similar lies:

Lower on the career chain, some people argue that applicants have to lie to get first jobs or to go back to work after months or years of being unemployed. They say it's a matter of financial survival. But a better solution would be an aggressive national public policy that creates many more programs for working adults to earn college degrees.

Yes, it's all dog-eat-dog capitalism's fault. And the solution of course is "many more" government programs.

Is it feminist solidarity that put the Globe in such a forgiving mood? After all, Jones was originally hired for the specific purpose of recruiting more women students at MIT. Was the paper riding to the defense of a right-thinking [meaning left-thinking] college administrator, perhaps? Would the Globe have been so understanding if, say, a Bush administration official were similarly caught out?

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Forgiving-Boston-Globe ping to Today show list.

[ken5050]

Whenever a baby is born in America, we should just give them a SSN and a bachelor’s degree...that way no one would feel left out..

[johniegrad]

MIT didn’t go through a process of checking her resume and requiring proof of credentials?

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Credentials and resume-checking are just misogynistic, patriarchal, captitalistic means of keeping women down ;-)

[beckaz]

As long as it’s liberals hiring liberals, it’s OK.

[Vigilanteman]

She was just an undocumented scholar with so much potential. Why hold it against her because she couldn’t afford a college degree?

[Recon Dad]

“I misrepresented my academic degrees when I first applied to MIT 28 years ago,”

The reason I’m guessing she resigned is that if you’re fired she wouldn’t get her pension or benefits. She can just go and retire with 28 years in.

[Savage Beast]

Welcome to the Post-Enlightenment!

Lying is a virtue!

War is peace! Freedom is slavery! Love is hate!

George Orwell was a prophet.

BIG BROTHER is watching YOU!

[Diogenesis]

The Boston Globe supports resume fraud in Massachusetts. Not surprised.
Calling Mike Barnicle. please pick up the white security phone.

[kittymyrib]

The fitting punishment would be to make her pay back ALL the money she made at MIT. She was not entitled to it and should forfeit it. But of course, it’s okay for university employees to steal by such a scam. Only Republicans have to be righteous...and there are none of those on university payrolls.

[jwparkerjr]

As much as this gives me pause for thought it’s even more amazing when it’s an airline pilot that turns out not to have a license. I remember reading over the years of several pilots who were doing very well, even rose to captain, only to have some snot-nosed young FAA person actually check their ticket and find out it was fake.

Although both are wrong, I guess I would rather find out the person who was in charge of admitting students to an institution I have never had any desire to attend had lied about their credentials rather than the pilot who has my life in his hands as he shoots an instrument approach in minimum weather conditions!

[Diogenesis]

You probably hit on the reason for the Boston Globes support of this.

FACT: Resume Fraud is widespread in Massachusetts from the Judiciary to the Hospitals.
.... and certainly at the Boston Globe. No wonder the Boston Globe supports
the illegal aliens that now pass for Massachusetts' Judges and Doctors. HA HA.

[6SJ7]

As much as this gives me pause for thought it’s even more amazing when it’s an airline pilot that turns out not to have a license.

Sounds like the movie "Catch Me if You Can".

[ChildOfThe60s]

bump

[syriacus]

Why is she revealing this now?

[Mmmike]

The *unrighteousness* of the anti-Republican witch hunters comes through in the way they conduct those very witch hunts.

[ontap]

It took me twenty years of a course here and a course there of night school to finally earn my degree. Had I only known I could have just told them I had a degree...Hmmmmm So MIT is charging gazillions for a degree on one hand and proving you don’t need it on the other,go figure!!!

[johnny7]

Too bad she wasn't... black.

[geezerwheezer]

Only in America, huh??? I thought M.I.T. was a “smart school”, and it may well be, but the administration sure looks suspect to me right now with this Dean of Admissions not having what she was supposed to have in ways of her degree. Not real smart there in anybody’s book!