It’s always been a bad idea to misrepresent — to lie about — your academic credentials, but this summer it became a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The bill passed by the Washington Legislature is sometimes referred to as the “diploma mill bill,” and it makes it a class C felony to issue a fake or otherwise unaccredited degree. But, it also makes it a gross misdemeanor to use a false credential or to say you have a degree that you don’t.
At Washington State University, many new employees are hired every year. About 800 faculty, AP and classified workers were hired in the last year, said Lisa Gehring, assistant director of Human Resource Services.
The process of verifying resume information is the duty of the search committee or support staff from the hiring unit, according to Theresa Elliot-Cheslek, associate director in Human Resource services.
“The hiring department would review credentials, employment history and references before extending an offer to a job applicant,” she said.
While Human Resource Services provides guidance and support for civil service employment, the Center for Human Rights handles recruitment for faculty appointments and AP positions. The Office of the Provost authorizes and approves faculty appointments.
Fran McSweeney, vice provost for faculty affairs, said the world of academia is too small for a job applicant to be able to pass off a fake degree or claim a degree from an accredited university that hadn’t been earned.
“It’s not just looking at a paper that someone submits,” she said. “The process is so much more.”
Not only do tenure-track positions require a terminal degree (which is only granted by a select group of universities) but most often faculty search committees are drawn to applicants who have earned their degree at a particular university or working with a particular researcher. And there are other points of reference besides what is on the resume.
“These searches go on for months and take tremendous amounts of time and energy,” McSweeney said.
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